Optimizing gene delivery for an early cancer detection strategy
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Many forms of advanced cancer remain difficult to treat, with tremendous economic and social costs. Early cancer detection holds great potential in reducing cancer mortality, with the benefits of screening already well-recognized and implemented for several cancer types, including skin, colon, and breast cancers. Meanwhile, sensitive and specific screening methods for deep-tissue, aggressive cancers such as ovarian, lung, and pancreatic cancers remain elusive. Because these cancers are located far from a surface that can be easily probed, minimally invasive methods involving blood biomarkers and imaging offer great possibilities. In this thesis, I introduce a novel two-step strategy for detecting cancer early that depends on delivery of a minicircle DNA molecular probe to a tumor. In Chapter 2, I show proof-of-concept that a secretable blood biomarker and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging reporter gene can be encoded on a tumor-activatable minicircle and delivered via a cationic transfection reagent. In animal studies, the secretable blood biomarker can be detected in the blood of tumor-bearing mice compared to healthy mice, and PET reporter gene expression can be quantified at significant levels in tumors. This highlights the potential of tumor-activatable minicircles to deliver reporter genes for an early cancer detection strategy. However, improved delivery vehicles for the minicircles would benefit the strategy. In Chapter 3, I investigate the ability of extracellular vesicles to encapsulate and deliver minicircles, and in Chapter 4, I expand the toolbox of delivery vehicles to include ionizable lipid nanoparticles. Novel strategies for early cancer detection combined with more targeted tumor delivery holds great potential in reducing cancer mortality.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2021; ©2021 |
| Publication date | 2021; 2021 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Robinson, Elise Rose |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Ferrara, Katherine |
| Thesis advisor | Ferrara, Katherine |
| Thesis advisor | Lee, Jin Hyung |
| Thesis advisor | Paulmurugan, Ramasamy |
| Degree committee member | Lee, Jin Hyung |
| Degree committee member | Paulmurugan, Ramasamy |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Bioengineering |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Elise Robinson. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Bioengineering. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2021. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/cy036rf6683 |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2021 by Elise Rose Robinson
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
Also listed in
Loading usage metrics...