Targeting cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts in breast cancer using podoplanin targeting nanoparticle mediated delivery of combined chemotherapeutic and anti-fibrotic treatment

Goal

To develop a drug delivery-assisted combination therapy targeting both cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and cancer cells.

Contribution

I contributed to the conception of the project and designing experiments. I conducted RNA and protein-level investigations to characterize TGF-beta-treated MRC5 cells and assess whether transformed myofibroblasts mimic CAFs. Using computational analysis of RNA-seq data, PDB structures, cBioPortal screening, and an extensive literature review, I identified a transmembrane peptide specific to tumor-promoting CAFs as a potential targeting moiety for a nanoparticle-based drug delivery system. Additionally, I identified a cytoplasmic target suitable for drug repurposing by screening databases such as PubChem, ChEMBL, and DrugBank. I am also actively involved in experimental design, data collection, and analysis.

Results

The project is ongoing