Applications of Minimally Invasive Nanomedicine-Based Therapies in 3D in Vitro Cancer Platforms

Minimally invasive techniques such as Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) and Photochemical Internalisation (PCI) have for years been under investigation for the treatment of solid cancers. A significant number of the recent research studies have applied PDT and PCI to biological three-dimensional (3D) cancer platforms with many of the studies also involving the use of nanoparticles in order to enhance the efficacy of these light-based therapies. Interest in the employment of 3D cancer platforms has increased considerably due to the ability of the platforms to mimic in vivo models better than the conventional two-dimensional (2D) cultures. Some of the advantages of the 3D cancer systems over their 2D counterparts include improved interaction between cancer cells and the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as restricted drug penetration which would allow optimization of treatments prior to undertaking of in vivo studies. The different chapters of this book will discuss photosensitizers and nanoparticles used in PDT and PCI in addition to the applications of these treatments in various 3D cancer models.

Layla Mohammad-Hadi is a doctoral graduate in nanomedicine and cancer therapy from University College London (UCL) in the Dept. of Nanotechnology, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science. She graduated in Pharmacology and then completed a Master’s degree in Reproductive Medicine and Women’s Health. Her doctoral research was conducted in the Dept. of Nanotechnology, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science at UCL and mainly focused on Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) and the use of Photochemical internalisation (PCI) for the delivery of anti-cancer drugs to their target sites of action in various 3D models of breast and ovarian cancer. After the completion of her Ph.D., Layla continued to carry out research on colorectal and pancreatic cancer therapy using nanomedicine and PDT at UCL.Marym Mohammad-Hadi is a third-year Ph.D. student researching in nanomedicine and cancer therapy at University College London (UCL) in the Department of Surgical Biotechnology, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science. The main focus of her doctoral research is the development of a multistimulus-responsive nanoparticulate formulation for sonodynamic therapy and sonochemical internalization in pancreatic cancer. Marym obtained a degree in Pharmacology as well as a Master’s degree in Cancer Therapeutics before commencing her Ph.D.