In a study reported in Angewandte Chemie we report the development of Utorubicin (UTO) as a potent anticancer payload of polymeric nanoparticles. Nanoencapsulation of UTO in polymeric vesicles functionalized with tumor-penetrating peptides increases the cytotoxicity of the drug in receptor-positive cells in vitro and, after systemic administration into mice bearing triple-negative tumors, potentiates UTO accumulation in malignant tissue.

This collaborative study was led by team of Precision and nanomedicine (Lorena Simón-Gracia, Valeria Sidorenko,  Tambet Teesalu) and involved Estonian drug development company Toxinvent Inc.

Links:

1. Novel Anthracycline Utorubicin for Cancer Therapy, Angew Chem, 2021 Jul 26;60(31):17018-17027. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202016421
2. Nanoparticles Could Help to Deliver Cancer-Drug to the Right Target, https://researchinestonia.eu/2018/12/20/nanoparticles-could-help-to-deliver-cancer-drug-to-the-right-target/
3. Smart specialisation project “Innovative anticancer drug candidates based on a novel cytotoxic compound, Utorubicin“