Rishi R Adhikary and Rinti Banerjee
Young Research Forum: J Neurol Neurophysiol
Glioblastoma is a dreaded tumor of the central nervous system with very low survival in spite of modern day treatments involving neurosurgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Nanomedicine, especially, ?Trigger Responsive nanoparticles? have found importance in the chemotherapy of these tumors. This study uses such trigger-responsive nanoparticles which are responsive to both ultrasound and pH. The particles developed using ultrasound could be used in targeted therapy with simultaneous imaging making them a part of a relatively modern science, Theranostics (therapy + diagnostics). Specifically, the theranostic agents developed contained ultrasound contrast agents (arginine-coated lipid microbubbles) electrostatically bonded to temozolomide-loaded, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). The agents were characterized and the drug release was assessed in the presence and absence of ultrasound. Ultrasound acted as a trigger in combination with pH for the activation of temozolomide, granting better temporal and spatial control to the delivery of the drug to the tumor site. Clinically, the developed particles had the ability to generate contrast. The particles thus developed were suitably modified to make them pertinent for intranasal delivery leveraging the nose-to-brain neural pathways. These theranostic particles have a tremendous translational potential in the targeted treatment of glioblastoma.
Rishi R Adhikary completed his Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram. He is currently pursuing his MTech-PhD dual degree at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. His research interests include drug delivery and nanomedicine with a focus on the translational aspects of these technologies.
