Wafa T. Al-Jamal
University of East Anglia, UK
Title: Targeted drug delivery to enhance cancer therapy and reduce its side effects
Biography
Biography: Wafa T. Al-Jamal
Abstract
Most cancer chemotherapeutics lack tissue specificity, resulting in many undesirable side effects. Delivering drugs selectively to the tumour tissues could ultimately increase local drug concentrations at the tumor without the need to escalate the administrated doses in patients. A wide range of drug delivery systems has been developed to alter the pharmacokinetics of the drug molecules and enhance their tumour targeting. Furthermore, several approaches have been explored to increase the bioavailability of drugs at the site of action, utilizing the unique characteristics of the tumor microenvironment, such as overexpressed enzymes, acidic pH, and hypoxia, or using external triggers, such as heat, ultrasound, and light. In this talk will describe the latest delivery systems that we have developed in our laboratory to enhance the tumour accumulation of anticancer drugs, utilising internal and external triggers.