A golden age: Using nanoparticles to sensitise prostate cancer to radiotherapy.

Grant information

Institution – Queen’s University Belfast
Lead Researcher – Professor Jonathan Coulter
PhD Researcher – Dr. Natalie Owen
Grant award - £99,662
Duration of funding - 2015-2018
Status - Complete
Reference – S14-004

Why did we fund this project?

• External beam radiotherapy is a common treatment for men with localised or locally advanced prostate cancer, however like all cancer treatments, there are potential side effects.
• While radiotherapy may be successful for many, in approximately 20-30% of men, the cancer can return.
• New combination therapy methods are needed to boost the effectiveness of radiotherapy, while helping to reduce the possible side effects.
• Prof. Coulter and his team aimed to achieve this using gold nanoparticles which can increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to the killing effects of radiotherapy.
• These gold nanoparticles also have the potential to block some of the networks that cancer cells use to survive radiotherapy.
• If successful, it could improve the success rates of radiotherapy for men with prostate cancer.

The project in a nutshell

• Prof. Coulter and his team aimed to develop gold nanoparticles that could be used in combination with radiotherapy to enhance its effectiveness, improving treatment outcomes for prostate cancer.
• This treatment sensitised prostate cancer to radiotherapy and could reduce the chance of prostate cancer returning after treatment.

What did the team do?

• The team created an innovative gold nanoparticle designed to be preferentially internalised by cancer cells.
• When these nanoparticles accumulate within cancer cells, they can sensitise them to the damaging effects of radiotherapy – stopping them from growing.
• The team used several different experimental models of prostate cancer to test the effectiveness of their gold nanoparticle in combination with radiotherapy.

What did the team achieve?

• Using advanced microscopy techniques, Prof. Coulter and his team were able to visualise nanoparticle accumulation within prostate cancer cells following treatment.
• When combined with radiotherapy, these gold nanoparticles successfully made prostate cancer cells more sensitive to the effects of radiation treatment.
• Preliminary results from experimental models of prostate cancer have shown that the gold nanoparticles implanted into the tumour can boost the effectiveness of radiotherapy delaying prostate cancer growth and progression.

How will this benefit men?

• Radiotherapy is a major treatment method for prostate cancer, however in approximately 20-30% of men, the cancer can return.
• The approach taken by Prof Coulter and his team, combining gold nanoparticle treatment with radiotherapy, offers one solution to improve success rates.
• If proven clinically, this combination therapy could help to improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for men with prostate cancer.