Kill Cancer with a Single Injection

Cancer Targeted Single-Component Supramolecular Peptide Phototherapy Developed for Chemotherapy Without Side Effects Using One Injection and Repeated Light Therapy

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A technology has been developed to enhance the efficacy of phototherapy, a treatment method that kills cancer cells by injecting photosensitizers into the body and using lasers. This treatment method has far fewer side effects compared to radiation therapy or conventional chemotherapy, which inevitably damage tissues surrounding cancer cells, raising interest as a potential treatment to contribute to conquering cancer.

Repeated Phototherapy with a Single Injection

Cancer cells / Photo by Asia Economy DB

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced on the 9th that a research team led by Sehoon Kim, head of the Theragnosis Research Center, in collaboration with Professor Yoonsik Lee of Seoul National University and Professor Dongjun Ahn of Korea University, developed a cancer-targeted photosensitizer that can completely eliminate cancer without side effects through a single injection and repeated phototherapy. The research results were published in ACS Nano, an international journal in the field of nanotechnology.

The research team developed a therapeutic agent activated by photosensitizers that selectively target cancer tissues. The photosensitizer is based on a cyclic peptide (iRGD) that has the property of selectively penetrating and targeting cancer tissues, with a quencher appropriately arranged to regulate the activity of the photosensitizer and light. Once injected into the body, this therapeutic agent is activated by body temperature, forming supramolecular assemblies that settle around cancer cells. It then slowly and continuously penetrates inside the cancer cells over a long period, targeting them. Subsequent phototherapy targeting the cancer cells can destroy only the cancer cells.

Treatment Without Toxicity for 2 to 4 Weeks

Center Director Kim Sehun

According to mouse experiments, the photosensitizer stored around the tumor was continuously released for a long period (2 to 4 weeks) after a single injection, allowing selective treatment of the tumor. Additionally, no toxicity was observed in the tissues surrounding the cancer or major organs despite repeated light exposure, and it was confirmed that the cancer tissue was completely eliminated through repeated procedures. However, to commercialize this therapeutic agent, it is necessary to determine the appropriate dosage for human clinical trials and optimize toxicity testing.

Sehoon Kim, director of KIST, said, "We developed a cancer-targeted peptide photosensitizer that forms a reservoir through supramolecular self-assembly without additional adjuvants when injected in vivo." He added, "The developed photosensitizer can completely eliminate cancer through long-term repeated phototherapy without toxicity with just a single injection around the cancer, and its simple formulation as a single component is expected to be usefully applied in future photomedical treatments."