Scientists have created a groundbreaking blood test designed to assess cancer patients, aiming to enhance the safety and effectiveness of their treatments.
Researchers from RMIT University and the Doherty Institute have created a novel blood test that may help cancer patients receive safer and more effective treatments.
In Australia, almost one in two individuals will be diagnosed with cancer by the time they reach 85 years old.
This innovative test is the first of its kind and can quickly evaluate the effectiveness of various polyethylene glycol (PEG) based nanomedicines in destroying cancer cells while reducing side effects—all from a single drop of blood taken from patients with leukemia, a type of blood cancer.
Nanomedicines consist of extremely tiny particles, significantly smaller than cells, that interact with the body in targeted ways. These particles are specifically engineered to deliver drugs directly to diseased cells, like cancer cells, with the aim of protecting healthy ones.
Several nanomedicines, including Doxil, Onpattro (patisiran), and Vyxeos, have received approval for clinical use in both Australia and the United States, and additional variants are in development, although they are not yet in regular healthcare use.
Dr. Yi (David) Ju, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow at RMIT University, led this research alongside Professor Stephen Kent, a Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute from The University of Melbourne, in cooperation with Professor Constantine Tam, who directs the Lymphoma Service at The Alfred and was affiliated with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre during this study.
Although this proof-of-concept test is not currently available in clinical settings like clinics and hospitals, its future development and implementation could occur in partnership with industry stakeholders and government assistance over the next few years.
The researchers highlight that their breakthrough, detailed in the journal ACS Nano, signifies a substantial advancement in understanding how nanomedicines interact with blood cells in leukemia patients.
“Our research helps to clarify why some cancer patients respond more effectively to nanomedicine therapies than others,” said Ju, from the School of Science.
“By identifying these variances, we can create more personalized and effective treatment plans for leukemia patients.”
How the study was conducted
The research involved testing three distinct PEG-based nanomedicines on the blood samples of 15 leukemia patients.
The team added the nanomedicines to blood samples individually, incubating them at 37 degrees Celsius for one hour.
“We evaluated how effectively the various nanomedicines targeted cancerous cells in the blood along with healthy ones,” Ju explained.
“This approach enabled us to ascertain which therapies were most effective for specific individuals.”
The findings
Previous research by this team indicated that individuals who develop high levels of anti-PEG antibodies following mRNA vaccinations might find future mRNA treatments, including those for cancer, less effective, as their bodies would eliminate these therapies more rapidly. PEG is a fundamental ingredient in mRNA vaccines.
The researchers also discovered that individual immune system responses significantly influenced treatment effectiveness.
“In this latest work, we investigated how various nanomedicine formulations interacted with the blood of patients,” Ju noted.
“We found that the uniqueness of individuals’ immune systems affects both the effectiveness of these therapies against cancer cells and the associated side effects.”
The team noticed variations in the levels of anti-PEG antibodies present in the blood samples from different individuals, Ju mentioned.
“The more anti-PEG antibodies present in a person’s blood, the less effective these therapies were at eliminating cancer cells—often resulting in increased toxicity to healthy cells.”
Doxil, a frequently utilized nanomedicine for treating ovarian cancer, AIDS-related Kaposi’s Sarcoma, and multiple myeloma, was significantly influenced by the anti-PEG antibodies. This suggests that, for certain individuals, the therapy was targeting healthy cells responsible for immune responses more than the cancer cells. It’s worth noting that Doxil is not typically used to treat leukemia in clinical settings.
However, the experiments revealed that Doxil remained the most viable option for some of the participants compared to the other nanomedicines tested.
The most effective nanoparticles against leukemia were a unique formulation of pure PEG nanoparticles developed by the team.
Next steps
This research will support the creation of next-generation cancer nanomedicines and enhance the process of selecting patients for personalized treatments.
The results suggest that simple blood tests could also help tailor nanoparticle-based treatments for patients with solid tumors, such as breast and ovarian cancers, according to Tam.
“Understanding how individual immune responses vary may lead to safer and more effective treatments by customizing nanoparticle formulations to fit each patient’s distinct immune profile,” he remarked.
“Our innovation holds great promise for pharmaceutical companies looking to create targeted therapies for previously untreatable cancers,” Kent stated.
“We are eager to collaborate with industry leaders to advance this technology and accelerate its application in clinical settings,” Ju concluded.
