A golden opportunity: enhancing radiotherapy outcomes for men with localised prostate cancer

Grant Information

Institution – Queen’s University Belfast
Researcher – Dr Jonathan Coulter
Grant award - £ 376,156
Duration of funding – 2022-2025
Status - Complete
Reference – RIA19-ST2-008

Why did we fund this project?

• Radiotherapy can be an effective treatment for men with localised or locally advanced prostate cancer.

  However, while it is successful for many, the cancer returns in approximately 20–30% of men.

• At Queen’s University Belfast, Prof. Jonathan Coulter’s team is researching tiny gold particles, called gold nanoparticles, which make prostate cancer cells more sensitive to radiotherapy and easier to destroy.
• Having engineered gold nanoparticles that more effectively target prostate cancer cells, their next goal was to develop a biodegradable implant that can gradually release the nanoparticles throughout a man’s radiotherapy treatment course.
• This implant makes use of a drug delivery approach developed by Professor Helen McCarthy, and builds upon a prior PhD studentship we awarded to Jonathan Coulter back in 2014.

What did the researchers do?

• The team first created several prototype implants from different materials to identify which one performed best.
• After loading the gold nanoparticles into the implants made from the chosen material, the team investigated whether nanoparticles could be effectively released and whether they retained the ability to sensitize prostate cancer cells to radiotherapy.
• Finally, the team placed the implants into tumours in mice to assess whether the released gold nanoparticles could effectively disperse throughout tumours.
  

What did the researchers achieve?

• The team identified a material with optimal characteristics for the implant.
• Next, they demonstrated that gold nanoparticles were steadily released from implants made of this material, enhancing the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to radiotherapy.
• Finally, in mice, the gold nanoparticles dispersed effectively from the implants and were evenly distributed throughout the tumours.

How will this benefit men?

• Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of prostate cancer treatment, but in 20–30% of men, the cancer comes back.
• If clinically proven, an implant containing gold nanoparticles could make radiotherapy more effective without increasing the treatment burden, giving patients more time to enjoy the things they love.