Researchers at Pitt have developed a new technology and method for the detection and quantification of platinum-based compounds, with significant implications for the treatment and understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
Description
The global market for cancer treatments with platinum drugs is a large industry. Platinum drugs are the most frequently used drugs for cancer treatments, but do not address the person-to-person differences for the responsiveness to the drugs. This technology is a novel fluorescent probe for the detection and quantification of platinum-based compounds. The researchers employed a catalysis-based fluorometric approach to selectively enhance the reactivity of platinum towards previously developed fluorogenic probes, enabling highly sensitive and selective detection of this metal ion.
Applications
- Cancer treatment
- Drug resistance
Advantages
These are novel fluorescent probes invented for the detection and quantification of platinum-based compounds within 2 hours after infusion of platinum drugs. Patients treated with platinum drugs stay at a hospital for 4-6 hours during the infusion, which is too short for currently available technologies to monitor platinum concentrations in the patients but is sufficient for Koide’s technology to measure platinum concentrations in serum. The rapid technology makes it possible to adjust dosage during patient’s visits. The modular nature of the probe design suggests that this ligand-accelerated catalysis approach could be applied to develop probes for other metal ions of interest, expanding the potential applications of these technologies. The quantitative capabilities and biocompatibility of the probes have enabled new insights into the intracellular trafficking of platinum and copper in cancer cells, opening avenues for understanding and overcoming drug resistance.
Invention Readiness
This technology is at the level of in vitro data. The platinum detection method, which utilizes the phosphine ligand tris(4-fluorophenyl)phosphine (TFPP), was able to quantify platinum concentrations in spiked serum samples and rock extracts with a limit of detection of 5.5 nM. This technique was then used to image the intracellular distribution of platinum in cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant head and neck cancer cell lines, revealing that the resistant cells sequestered platinum in lysosomes, in contrast to the more diffuse platinum distribution in the sensitive cells.
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US11340164B2
https://patents.google.com/patent/US11781984B2
