World-renowned, National Institutes of Health, has made it to the front page recently for the announcement of awarding a $3.9 million grant to Rami Oklu, Ph.D., M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, and Ali Khademhosseini, Ph.D., Director, and CEO of the Terasaki Institute of Biomedical Innovation (TIBI).
Reports suggest that the grant would be used to create innovative and advanced drug delivery methods for the treatment of liver cancer.
For the record, liver cancer ranks sixth in global cancer-related deaths worldwide. The disease’s occurrence has risen by 4% in the last 10 years, with a five-year survival rate of only 9%
It has been reported that TIBI, through this funding, would draw upon their extensive and exceptional expertise and experience with biomaterials to develop more effective ways to target and destroy the tumor cells present in the liver.
Moreover, the project would also rely on the partnership and clinical expertise of Professor Oklu, a specialist in the treatment of oncologic patients.
As per credible reports, the research work by TIBI would potentially address the challenges and loopholes involved in liver cancer treatment. The team of researchers have laid down their plans of developing an enhanced trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) method for more efficient, sustained, and controllable drug delivery, in line with embolization of tumor cell vasculature.
Besides, the combinatory effects of using both immunotherapeutic and chemo drugs for destroying the tumor cells will take full advantage of the enhanced and advanced TACE procedure.
Commenting on the novel accomplishment, Director and CEO of Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Dr. Ali Khademhosseini, Ph.D., cited that the proposed methods present a groundbreaking and revolutionary development in the field of liver cancer treatment.
Additionally, it also boasts of the potential for simplification to vivid kinds of cancer where localized drug delivery and embolization are needed.