Nanoparticle carriers could mean new hope for failed cancer drug

A research team from the University of North Carolina has developed nanoparticle carriers to deliver therapeutic doses of a cancer drug that previously failed in clinical development. The drug, wortmannin, was highly promising but because of high toxicity, low stability and low solubility, did not translate into clinical success. “Many promising drugs such as wortmannin failed clinical development because they failed one or more of these requirements. Nanoparticle drug delivery is a breakthrough technology and has the ability to overcome these limitations,” senior author Andrew Z. Wang said. The new nanoparticle formulation of wortmannin has proven less toxic, more stable and soluble, and more effective. It also was found to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy and is more effective than the most commonly used chemotherapy, Wang said.