11310E500100 College of Engineering Seminar

TOPIC
▸　Nanotechnology in Cancer Care: Enhancing the Efficacy of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Abstract
❝　Nanotechnology has emerged as a transformative force in the field of cancer care, offering innovative solutions for improving the efficacy of existing treatments. One promising application is in enhancing Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), a unique cancer treatment modality that combines the principles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. BNCT leverages the high linear energy transfer (LET) ionization to deliver highly localized radiation doses at the cellular level, causing significant DNA damage in cancer cells. However, the clinical success of BNCT has been hindered by challenges in efficiently delivering a high concentration of boron-10 to tumor cells while ensuring a favorable tumor-to-blood ratio. This talk will explore how advancements in nanotechnology can overcome these obstacles, focusing on the development of boron-rich nanoparticles. These nanomaterials exhibit high boron content, nanoscale properties, and multifunctionality, positioning them as ideal candidates for enhancing BNCT and revolutionizing combination therapies in cancer care. Specifically, we will present the synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of boron-rich nanomaterials including boron carbon oxynitride (BCNO) nanoparticles and poly(ethyleneglycol)-block-(poly(4-vinylphenyl boronate ester)) polymer micelles as a potent boron nanodrug for BNCT.  These BCNO nanoparticles and micelles demonstrated a 90-fold and 38-fold increase in boron accumulation in cancer cells compared to the small molecular boron drugs. In tumor mouse models, the boron nanodrug exhibit significant tumor inhibition compared to the small molecular boron drug.  Furthermore, we will present findings on the enhanced effectiveness of BNCT when combined with immunotherapies.  Combining BNCT and anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy extended tumor growth delay to 6.6 days, and increased T-cell infiltration and activation at tumor sites, thereby indicating a boosted immune response. This combination therapy offers promising approach by enhancing cytotoxic T-cell activation and mitigating the immunosuppressive effects of melanoma tumors.  In summary, our findings demonstrate that boron nanodrugs, can achieve superior tumor specificity and therapeutic outcomes, marking a crucial step forward in the development of more effective cancer treatment modalities.　❞

SPEAKER
▸　Prof. Pei-Yuin KENG
▸　Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University

Short Bio
❝　Professor Keng obtained her Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Arizona, Tucson, and was honored with the UCLA Scholars in Oncologic Molecule Imaging (SOMI) award for her postdoctoral work in microfluidics and molecular imaging. In 2011, she commenced her tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA, where, as a Principal Investigator, she spearheaded the development of microfluidic devices and radiochemical techniques for the on-demand production of a wide array of radiotracers. Over the years, Professor Keng has made substantial contributions to her field, authoring 28 SCI-indexed journal articles and 3 review papers, which have garnered 1728 citations. Her research excellence is further evidenced by her h-index of 19 and i10-index of 27. In 2019, Professor Keng joined the faculty at MSE-NTHU, focusing her research on the synthesis of boron-based nanomaterials for applications in catalysis, biomedical science, and environmental remediation. Her research team is particularly interested in exploring the self-assembly and disassembly mechanisms of nanoparticles to create nanostructures that can be tuned in size in response to specific biological stimuli.　❞

TIME
▸　2024/09/03 (TUE) 13:20 ~ 15:10

VENUE
▸　Classroom 212, Chemical Engineering Building