Implantable Nanofluidic Device Delivers CD40 Antibody & Shrinks Pancreatic Tumors in Animal Model

Houston Methodist nanomedicine researchers have found a way to possibly tame pancreatic cancer--one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat cancers--by delivering immunotherapy directly into the tumor with a device that is smaller than a grain of rice. In a paper published on January 13, 2023 in Advanced Science, Houston Methodist Research Institute researchers described using an implantable nanofluidic device they invented to deliver CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), a promising immunotherapeutic agent, at a sustained low-dose via the nanofluidic drug-eluting seed (NDES). The result, found in murine models, was tumor reduction at a four-fold lower dosage than traditional systemic immunotherapy treatment. The article is titled “Sustained Intratumoral Administration of Agonist CD40 Antibody Overcomes Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment in Pancreatic Cancer.”