Core-Excited Nanoparticles and Methods of Their Use in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Disease

Abstract

Core-excited nanoparticle thermotherapy (CENT) represents a new paradigm in thermotherapy. The CENT method employs core-shell nanoparticles. The core of the nanoparticles is formed from one or more core-exciting, energy absorbing materials which absorbs core-exciting energy, either from an external energy source or from an energy source within the nanoparticle core (e.g., one or more radionuclides which undergo decay). Upon excitation by the core-exciting energy, the one or more core-exciting, energy absorbing materials reemit energy. A shell surrounds the particle nanoparticle core. The energy reemitted by the one or more core-exciting, energy absorbing materials is absorbed by the nanoparticle shell, so as to heat the shell of the nanoparticle. The heated nanoparticle then heats the surrounding region, to a temperature sufficient to detect, affect, damage or destroy the targeted cell or material. These core-shell nanoparticles can be administered to a patient in need thereof to treat diseases or disorders, including cancer. CENT nanoparticles can be optionally be bound to targeting agents that deliver them to the region of the diseased cell.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention is generally in the field of core-shell nanoparticles, especially metal and ceramic core nanoparticles, for use in diagnosis and treatment of disease.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Generation of heat in the range of temperature from about 40° C. to about 46° C. (hyperthermia) can cause irreversible damage to diseased cells, whereas normal cells are not similarly affected. Three widely investigated methods for inducing hyperthermia, including radio-frequency waves (U.S. Pat. No. 7,510,555 to Kanzius), magnetic fields and near infrared radiation, have been utilized. As mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 7,074,175 to Handy, “Hyperthermia may hold promise as a treatment for cancer because it induces instantaneous necrosis (typically called thermo-ablation) and / or a heat-shock response in cells (classical hyperthermia), leading to cell death via a series of biochemical changes within the cell. One particularly advantageous property is that, in ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0028]This technology provides practical, cost-effective methods and nanomaterial compositions for diagnosis and hyperthermia treatment of disease or disorders. The technology should be effective to treat disease that has spread throughout the body, such as metastatic cancers (known as stage IV, in the case of cancer), even when the disease is in such small amounts or locations in the body that it is not detectable. The materials and methods can also be used for imaging, with detection resulting from either the X-ray absorption or the generation of heat. The technology is practical, effective, and non-invasive, with minimal side-effects, and should be usable with existing medical hardware now widely deployed in hospitals around the world.

Problems solved by technology

However, NIR is of limited practical clinical value for most cancers because of the inability of safe amounts of NIR to penetrate more than a few centimeters into the human body.

. . used for the purpose of light emission, for example, produce heat and therefore the light emission efficiency is limited.”

These particles do not generate a significant amount of heat, nor do they use shell materials that facilitate heating, as heating would suggest inefficiency in emitting radiation from these radioimmunotherapy nanoparticles.

While methodologies for selectively delivering nanoparticles to target cells are known, existing nanoparticles cannot be sufficiently heated to kill cells.

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