Optimization and automated preparation of nanoparticles for KRAS driven lung cancer

KRAS is the most frequently mutated oncogene in lung cancer and is commonly associated with poor prognosis. The treatments available today include radiation, surgical intervention, chemotherapeutic drugs and kinase inhibitors. The latter, are hydrophobic and as such are limited to oral uptake which may result in severe side-effects as they are not tumor-targeted. By encapsulating hydrophobic drugs in nanoparticles (NPs), the drug can be delivered through the bloodstream and the EPR effect can be exploited to increase the drug`s effectiveness on a local level.

Previous research showed that a subset of sulfated indocyanine dyes self-assembles with hydrophobic drugs to form stable NPs. These novel NPs have high drug loading which may further advance the effectiveness of NPs in cancer treatments. Nevertheless, the process of preparing and purifying multiple NP’s with different drugs and dyes in a manual way, for optimal formulation is challenging and time consuming.

We show that an automated procedure to prepare and purify NPs-based dye-drug combinations with high drug loading on KRAS lung cancer cells is feasible and that NPs containing the MEK inhibitor trametinib are highly effective in KRAS driven lung cancer.