Gold nanorod–assisted theranostic solution for nonvisible residual disease in bladder cancer
Residual nonvisible bladder cancer after proper treatment caused by technological and therapeutic limitations is responsible for tumor relapse and progression. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of a solution for simultaneous detection and treatment of bladder cancer lesions smaller than one millimeter. The α5β1 integrin was identified as a specific marker in 81% of human high-grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancers and used as a target for the delivery of targeted gold nanorods (GNRs). In a preclinical model of orthotopic bladder cancer expressing the α5β1 integrin, the photoacoustic imaging of targeted GNRs visualized lesions smaller than one millimeter, and their irradiation with continuous laser was used to induce GNR-assisted hyperthermia. Necrosis of the tumor mass, improved survival, and computational modeling were applied to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of this solution. Our study highlights the potential of the GNR-assisted theranostic strategy as a complementary solution in clinical practice to reduce the risk of nonvisible residual bladder cancer after current treatment. Further validation through clinical studies will support the findings of the present study.
Authors
- Erica Locatelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0711-8082)
- Filippo Pederzoli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3873-7465)
- Mirko Maturi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3176-0697)
- Massimo Alfano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6904-9158)
- Roberta Lucianò (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0344-614X)
- Andrea Salonia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0595-7165)
- Elisa Alchera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5478-6983)
- Luca Menichetti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3293-9616)
- Chiara Venegoni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2332-0483)
- Irene Locatelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8467-2132)
- Beatrice Campanella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6389-4035)
- Angelo Corti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0893-6191)
- Paolo Armanetti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8516-536X)
- Francesco Montorsi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7267-4181)
- Flavio Curnis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7231-9569)
- Silvia Tortorella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4981-0795)
- Jithin Jose (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8389-5596)
- Marco Moschini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3084-2458)
- Mauro Comes Franchini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5765-7263)
- Massimo Onor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3023-1072)
- Viktor Popov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1272-6258)
- Ean Hin Ooi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2766-7932)
Institutions
- Monash University Malaysia (MY)
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (IT)
- Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica (IT)
- Institute for the Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds (IT)
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele (IT)
- Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IT)
- National Research Council (IT)
- Fujifilm (Netherlands) (NL)
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2024-09-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2411583121
- Citations
- 15
- Primary Topic
- Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.59
Funders
- European Commission
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme