Metallic nanoparticles biodistribution for the study of lymphoma in animal models.

Abstract

T cell lymphoma constitutes a complex group of diseases, characterized by heterogeneous molecular features and clinical symptoms, and a dismal outcome no matter the therapeutic strategy chosen. In an attempt to improve patients' survival chances, treatment combinations (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy and thermotherapy) have been tested for their synergistic effects that may dramatically improve outcomes and reduce the side effects of each single modality treatment when therapeutic effects add up while side effects are distributed. In this context, nanoscale drug delivery agents have been developed and exploited to enhance the release of drugs in the treatment of several diseases, showing potential benefits in terms of pharmaceutical flexibility, selectivity, dose reduction and minimization of adverse effects. Inorganic materials (i.e., metal nanoparticles) can be used as imaging and radiotherapy agents demonstrating that nanoparticle-based therapies can combine and act as "precision medicine" for targeting tumors while leaving healthy tissue intact. Therefore, nanoparticles (NPs) appear as ideal platforms for multimodal therapy constituting a more than promising strategy in the search of effective combined treatments for T cell lymphoma. In our laboratory, we aim at validating these therapeutic strategies making use of metal NPs able to provide a diagnostic and therapeutic effect at the same time. Validation of the synthesized NPs will be possible thanks to the availability of an in vivo T cell lymphoma animal model also developed in the lab. Here, we describe basic protocols for the administration and biodistribution studies in solid tumors which could be of significant help for future therapies development and follow-up.