The candidate has demonstrated great potential to successfully transition into independence as evinced by his research productivity, high quality of research publications, awards, and honors. His immediate career goal is to develop the new BANDAGE for prostate cancer treatment approach and successfully transition into independence. His long term goal is to develop an internationally recognized research program in applications of nanotechnology in radiation therapy. The KO1 award will provide protected time for carrying out the proposed research and complementary didactic and clinical training components Environment: The institutional environment, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Harvard Medical School is optimally suitable for conducting the proposed research and career development of the candidate. The necessary didactic, clinical and research resources are available together with key faculty to work with. Research: The overall goal of the proposed research is to develop a new brachytherapy application with in situ dose-painting administered via gold-nanoparticle eluters (BANDAGE) that would circumvent current critical barriers to salvage radiotherapy and radiation boosting for prostate cancer. BANDAGE seeks to circumvent these critical limitations by loading routinely used brachytherapy spacers with radio-sensitizing (but) biocompatible gold nanoparticles (AuNP), which can be released/eluted in situ after implantation in prostate tumors. The AuNP release, in situ, from the spacers and consequent 3-dimensional intra-tumor bio-distribution over time may be customized e.g. by varying AuNP size, spacer position, concentration, and other parameters to provide sub-volume AuNP-aided radiation boosting of the prostate without increased toxicity to healthy tissue. The central hypothesis of this K01 application is that the new BANDAGE for prostate cancer treatment modality is a more efficacious approach for salvage radiotherapy and radiation boosting, because of the potential for customizable sub-volume boosting without increase in normal tissue toxicity.
The specific aims are: 1) Establish customizable intra-tumor biodistribution profiles and pharmacokinetics of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) released from gold-loaded brachytherapy spacers in pre-clinical models; 2) Demonstrate significant therapeutic enhancement using BANDAGE in preclinical models; 3) Develop treatment planning software tools for BANDAGE for prostate cancer. Relevant to the mission of the NCI, the expected outcomes of this project include: development of potentially improved treatment option (BANDAGE) for prostate cancer patients, and career development of the applicant into a successful and productive independent investigator in the fight against cancer.

Public Health Relevance

The highest clinical impact of the new prostate cancer BANDAGE that will be developed in this project is anticipated in significantly increasing the survival and quality of life for prostate cancer patients with local relapse who require salvage radiotherapy but have reached their radiotherapy normal tissue dose limits. This highly conformal and selective treatment would be a boon to the significant number of patients whose treatment choices are limited and prognoses are poor due to a failed prior therapy. BANDAGE as an initial treatment option would also help in preventing prostate cancer recurrence and metastasis.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01CA172478-03
Application #
8912431
Study Section
Subcommittee I - Transistion to Independence (NCI)
Program Officer
Soyombo-Shoola, Abigail Adebisi
Project Start
2013-09-17
Project End
2016-08-31
Budget Start
2015-09-01
Budget End
2016-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
076580745
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
Brivio, D; Nguyen, P L; Sajo, E et al. (2017) A Monte Carlo study of I-125 prostate brachytherapy with gold nanoparticles: dose enhancement with simultaneous rectal dose sparing via radiation shielding. Phys Med Biol 62:1935-1948
Boateng, Francis; Ngwa, Wilfred (2017) Modeling gold nanoparticle-eluting spacer degradation during brachytherapy application with in situ dose painting. Br J Radiol 90:20170069
Ngwa, Wilfred; Boateng, Francis; Kumar, Rajiv et al. (2017) Smart Radiation Therapy Biomaterials. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 97:624-637
Balogun, Onyinye; Rodin, Danielle; Ngwa, Wilfred et al. (2017) Challenges and Prospects for Providing Radiation Oncology Services in Africa. Semin Radiat Oncol 27:184-188
Ouyang, Zi; Mainali, Madan Kumar; Sinha, Neeharika et al. (2016) Potential of using cerium oxide nanoparticles for protecting healthy tissue during accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Phys Med 32:631-5
Hao, Yao; Yasmin-Karim, Sayeda; Moreau, Michele et al. (2016) Enhancing radiotherapy for lung cancer using immunoadjuvants delivered in situ from new design radiotherapy biomaterials: a preclinical study. Phys Med Biol 61:N697-N707
Ngwa, Wilfred; Ngoma, Twalib; Zietman, Anthony et al. (2016) Closing the Cancer Divide Through Ubuntu: Information and Communication Technology-Powered Models for Global Radiation Oncology. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 94:440-9
Ouyang, Zi; Liu, Bo; Yasmin-Karim, Sayeda et al. (2016) Nanoparticle-aided external beam radiotherapy leveraging the ?erenkov effect. Phys Med 32:944-7
Altundal, Yucel; Sajo, Erno; Makrigiorgos, G Mike et al. (2015) Nanoparticle-aided Radiotherapy for Retinoblastoma and Choroidal Melanoma. IFMBE Proc 51:907-910
Sinha, Neeharika; Cifter, Gizem; Sajo, Erno et al. (2015) Brachytherapy application with in situ dose painting administered by gold nanoparticle eluters. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 91:385-92

Showing the most recent 10 out of 19 publications