Green Light-Triggered Intraocular Drug Release for Intravenous Chemotherapy of Retinoblastoma

Article Name: Green Light-Triggered Intraocular Drug Release for Intravenous Chemotherapy of Retinoblastoma

What are the takeaway points from this article?

Drug delivery has been a significant challenge for the treatment of Retinoblastoma. Treatment has typically been limited to repetitive intravitreal injections of chemotherapy medications, which is very invasive and uncomfortable for patients, especially children. Systemic medications are much less invasive but are typically ineffective due to the retinal-blood barrier and the risk of systemic toxicity.

Using mice as an animal model, this study evaluated the safety and efficacy of Green Light-Triggered Intraocular Drug Release as a novel vehicle for chemotherapy agents in retinoblastoma. This involved intravenous injection of a specially photocleavable formulation of doxorubicin, a chemotherapeutic medication from which the most dangerous side effect is cardiotoxicity. Application of green light to the eye cleaves the carrier to release the active therapeutic agent in a targeted manner; in this case, localizing active medications to the diseased eye. The active doxorubicin accumulates in the eye and suppresses retinoblastoma growth while minimizing the risk of systemic complications. This is a promising method to maximize therapy of retinoblastoma in a less invasive manner than intravitreal injections and with less systemic toxicity than traditional systemic chemotherapy.

Reference:

Long, K., Yang, Y., Lv, W., Jiang, K., Li, Y., Lo, A. C. Y., Lam, W. C., Zhan, C., Wang, W., Green Light-Triggered Intraocular Drug Release for Intravenous Chemotherapy of Retinoblastoma. Adv. Sci. 2021, 2101754. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202101754

Date Published: Aug 27, 2021

Summary by: Desiree Naude