Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have published an article in PLOS ONE demonstrating the potential of magnetic surgical cement as a vehicle for targeted drug delivery.
spine
Kyphoplasty — filling of a fracture with surgical cement — is a common procedure for patients who have spinal fractures as a result of a tumour or osteoporosis. It is a suitable technique for stabilising the bone, however, in patients with cancer there are often spinal column tumours left that prove difficult to reach with chemotherapy.
Through adding magnetic particles to the surgical cement, the researchers have shown that they could guide magnetic nanoparticles directly to lesions near the fractures. These nanoparticles in turn are bound to various drugs that can be used to target specific locations or types of cells in the body.
“By modifying the kyphoplasty bone cement, we can both stabilise the spinal column and provide a targeted drug delivery system,” stated Steven Denyer, a third-year medical student in the UIC College of Medicine and a co-lead author on the paper. “This is a very promising technology as it has the potential to become a surgical option for patients with primary spinal column tumours or tumours that metastasize to the spinal column.”
In the study, the researchers used a pig model and were able to steer the magnetically-guided nanoparticles to the magnetic cement in the spinal vertebrae. To test the efficacy of this technique in future studies, the researchers will bind small amounts of chemotherapy drugs to the magnetic nanoparticles.
“Our study provides an in vivo proof-of-concept that this novel drug delivery system can help treat underlying causes of spinal fractures in addition to providing structural support,” said Abhiraj Bhimani, a fourth-year medical student in the UIC College of Medicine and a co-lead author on the paper.