For more than a decade, UAlbany chemist Max Royzen has worked with San Francisco biotech company Shasqi to develop a cancer drug delivery platform that aims to better target tumors while reducing harmful side effects. The system uses a technology called “click” chemistry to activate cancer drugs directly at the tumor site — sparing healthy tissues.
The platform was first tested on sarcomas, which cannot be removed surgically. It is now being adapted for other cancers, including non-small cell lung and gastric cancers.
The process begins by localizing a chemical component at the tumor site — either by injecting a gel-like material or, in the technology’s newest iteration, by delivering a tumor-targeting “binder” into the bloodstream. Once in place, an inactivated drug is given. When it reaches the tumor target, the two components “click” together and the drug becomes activated.
Because this reaction only happens at the tumor, higher doses can be given with fewer side effects — increasing the chances of killing cancer cells.
Early clinical trials confirmed the reaction works in the human body. The latest efforts are focusing on the intravenous version of the platform, which would eliminate the need to inject the tumor site directly and expand the range of treatable cancers.
“It is deeply rewarding to see this technology, which I’ve been developing since I was a postdoctoral fellow, advance through clinical trials,” said Royzen. “I started working on this in the earliest days of my career, and knowing that it could someday be used to help inform more effective cancer treatments fuels my dedication to this ongoing collaboration.”