Photothermal Therapy for Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a prevalent and challenging malignancy, affecting thousands of individuals worldwide each year. A groundbreaking advancement in the field of cancer therapy has the potential to transform the way we address this disease – photothermal therapy (PTT). As a premier preclinical CRO, Alfa Cytology offers comprehensive services in the development and evaluation of PTT-based treatments for breast cancer.
Introduction to Photothermal Therapy
Breast cancer, one of the most common cancer types, involves multiple complex molecular mechanisms and progresses through a multistep carcinogenic process. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a non-invasive treatment technology in which nanoparticles accumulate at the tumor site, absorb light energy and convert it into heat energy, thereby killing tumor cells. Compared with traditional thermal ablation, PTT has clear advantages in breast cancer treatment because of its easily adjustable irradiation light and internal thermal therapy capabilities. Nanoparticles are often used as photothermal agents in PTT due to their properties of high photothermal efficiency and small diameter capable of penetrating tumors. Photothermal agents can modify the size, shape, structure, and nanoparticle composites to tune their electronic, optical, and mechanical properties to achieve desired performance.
Fig.1 Photothermal therapy principle diagram. (Dheyab MA, et al., 2023)
Our Services
Noble metal nanoparticles are popular in the field of PTT due to their unique SPR effect. AuNPs can be synthesized in different shapes and sizes, including Au nanospheres, Au nanocages, Au nanoshells, and Au nanorods. They all possess surface plasmon resonance effects and improved radioactivity characteristics and can be used in multiple PTT modes to treat breast cancer. Alfa Cytology offers a wide range of gold nanoparticles with different morphologies and sizes, which can be functionalized and conjugated with biomolecules for active targeting. In addition, bonding services are available.
| Services | Description |
| Preparation and modification of gold nanoparticles | Preparation of gold nanoparticles of appropriate morphology and size. Biomolecules can be conjugated to the particle surface to enhance tumor targeting. Some modifications, such as PEGylation, can also be used to improve stability and cycling performance. |
| In vitro validation | Cell viability after incubation with specific treatments was measured using the MTT method. Apoptosis can be measured using flow cytometric assays based on Annexin V-FITC and PI staining. |
| In vivo treatment evaluation | Construct appropriate animal models to evaluate the tumor suppressive effect after treatment. |
Advantages of Using Gold Nanoparticles in PTT
- Biocompatible, low toxicity
- Tunable light absorption peak
- Localized surface plasmon resonance effect
- Easy to bioconjugate
Alfa Cytology is a world-leading preclinical CRO company dedicated to assisting scientists around the world in BC research. We can provide you with BC photothermal therapy development services and help in the development of therapies and diagnostics for BC. If you have any questions about BC research, please contact us and our experts will get back to you as soon as possible.
Reference
- Dheyab MA, et al. Gold nanoparticles-based photothermal therapy for breast cancer. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2023 Jun;42:103312.