Treatments of the post-operative surgical bed have proven appealing as the majority of cancer recurrence following tumor resection occurs at the tumor margin. A novel, biodegradable pullulan-based gel infused with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) is presented here for surgical bed administration followed by hyperthermia therapy via alternating magnetic field (AMF) activation. Pullulan is a water soluble, film-forming starch polymer that degrades at the postoperative wound site to deliver the IONP payload, targeting the remaining cancer cells. Different gel formulations containing various % wt of pullulan were tested for IONP elution. Elution levels and amount of gel degradation were measured by immersing the gel in de-ionized water for one hour then measuring particle concentrations in the supernatant and the mass of the remaining gel formulation. The most promising gel formulations will be tested in a murine model of surgical bed resection to assess in vivo gel dissolution, IONP cell uptake kinetics via histology and TEM analysis, and heating capability of the gel with AMF exposure.

Date Published: 26 February 2013
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 8584, Energy-based Treatment of Tissue and Assessment VII, 858411 (26 February 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2007310

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8584:
Energy-based Treatment of Tissue and Assessment VII
Thomas P. Ryan, Editor(s)