Despite significant efforts to improve glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treatment, GBM remains one of the most lethal cancers. Effective GBM treatments require sensitive intraoperative tumor visualization and effective postoperative chemotherapeutic delivery. Unfortunately, the diffusive and infiltrating nature of GBM limits the detection of GBM tumors, and current intraoperative visualization methods limit complete tumor resection. In addition, although chemotherapy is often used to eliminate any cancerous tissue remaining after surgery, most chemotherapeutic drugs do not effectively cross the brain-blood barrier (BBB) or enter GBM tumors. As a result, GBM has limited treatment options with high recurrence rates, and methods that improve its complete visualization during surgery and treatment are needed. Herein, we report a fluorescent nanoparticle platform for the near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF)-based tumor boundary visualization and image-guided drug delivery into GBM tumors. Our nanoplatform is based on ferumoxytol (FMX), an FDA-approved magnetic resonance imaging-sensitive superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle, which is conjugated with hepthamethine cyanine (HMC), a NIRF ligand that specifically targets the organic anion transporter polypeptides that are overexpressed in GBM. We have shown that HMC-FMX nanoparticles cross the BBB and selectively accumulate in the tumor using orthotopic GBM mouse models, enabling NIRF-based visualization of infiltrating tumor tissue. In addition, HMC-FMX can encapsulate chemotherapeutic drugs, such as paclitaxel or cisplatin, and deliver these agents into GBM tumors, reducing tumor size and increasing survival. Taken together, these observations indicate that HMC-FMX is a promising nanoprobe for GBM surgical visualization and drug delivery.
Keywords: drug delivery; ferumoxytol; fluorescence imaging; glioblastoma; iron oxide nanoparticles.