In 2015, it was estimated that approximately 1.7 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States alone. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. One in eight women in their lifetime will have to endure the tribulations of discovering that they have breast cancer and all that comes in hopes of beating the disease. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subgroup of breast cancer associated with a poor prognosis and a higher chance of cancer metastasis outside the breast. TNBC is defined as being negative in gene expression for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and lacking gene expression of HER2/neu. Current methods for targeting TNBC tumors remain in investigative stages due to the difficulty in discovering an appropriate and direct method of targeting. To enable selective and effective treatment of TNBC solid tumors, we study a drug delivery carrier of cisplatin (CDDP) - a clinically accepted major line of therapy for TNBC - that is designed to ultimately result in (a) deep penetration and homogeneous distribution of the drug within tumors and (b) enhanced ii uptake by the cancer cells that constitute these tumors. Towards these aims, we engineered a carrier that is a tunable (pH-sensitive) liposome encapsulating cisplatin. These liposomes are designed to form lipid-phase separated domains at acidic pH. Domain formation is tuned to trigger content release, and the change is pH is used to increase the adsorptive/adhesive property of these liposomes. Improved tumor penetration of delivered cisplatin is expected to be achieved by triggered release of cisplatin directly within the tumor interstitial region from extravasated liposomes. Further increase in intracellularly delivered cisplatin (due to more favorable retention of liposomes by solid tumors in vivo) is expected to be achieved by liposomes that are functionalized with an adhesive switch on their surface with the aim to slow their clearance from the tumor.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_8707
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (xi, 83 p. : ill.)
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Breast--Cancer--Treatment
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Liposomes
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Sally Stras
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
School of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10001600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.