DLVR Drug Delivery Characterization

Highly targeted therapies can be devised to treat a variety of cancers, specifically acting on the mutated genes causing tumor growth. One challenge with such techniques is delivering the therapy to the interior of the cancer cell, when enzymes in the blood can actively break down the therapeutic molecules or when delivery to healthy cells can cause toxicity. Nanoparticle carrier molecules can solve this problem by containing the payload and delivering it directly to the cancer cell. DLVR Therapeutics has developed a novel nanoparticle that targets a cell surface marker common on some types of cancer cells. This nanoparticle has been developed to mimic natural molecules in the bloodstream. Its small size allows it to exploit the altered perfusion in a tumor, offering great potential for improving specificity. The intern will work to better characterize this nanoparticle delivery system using advanced imaging techniques, and evaluate the efficacy and specificity of this treatment approach in a preclinical model of cancer.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gang Zheng

Student:

Partner:

DLVR Therapeutics;University Health Network

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Toronto

Program: