The off-target toxicity of chemotherapy is a well-known problem in oncology. To overcome this challenge, many approaches have been developed to selectively delivery chemotherapy directly to the tumor. One such approach is transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), in which chemotherapy is introduced via catheter directly into the tumor vasculature. Despite this site-specific delivery, however, about half of the chemotherapy dose passes through the tumor, enters systemic circulation, and causes off-target damage. To address this problem, we are developing materials that are capable of capturing this residual chemotherapy from the bloodstream. Ultimately, these materials will be used to construct a device (a "chemofilter") that can be depolyed via catheter "downstream" from the tumor, enabling excess chemotherapy to be intercepted and sequestered before entering systemic circulation. Our approach involves the covalent attachment of genomic DNA to surfaces, which enables the capture of DNA-targeting chemotherapy agents. We have explored several methods of achieving DNA attachment and have investigated the ability of different materials to remove chemotherapy agents from biologically relevant solutions. We have observed effective drug capture from solution at clinically relevant concentrations and timescales, indicating that drug capture is a viable strategy for mitigating the harmful side-effects associated with chemotherapy.

Materials for drug capture: An approach to reducing the off-target toxicity of chemotherapy

255th National Meeting (2018)

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