2. Background
• Pancreatic Cancer
• 5-year survival rate ranging from 14% to 1%
• Limited options for cancer treatment
• Low quality of life during treatment and tumorigenesis
• Current Pancreatic Cancer Treatments
• Surgery
• Whipple Procedure
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation Therapy
http://medicdaily.co/new-pancreatic-cancer-drug-trial-showing-promise/
3. Background
• Gold nanoparticles (GNPs)
• Excellent electrostatic properties
• Small size
• Physiologically compatible
• High binding affinity
• Interferons (IFNs)
• Three types of proteins released by host cells in response to
pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells
• Are broken down easily if not stabilized
• Type I interferons IFN-α and IFN-β are present in humans
• Signal release of transcription factor p53 (suppresses tumors by
inducing cell apoptosis in mutated tumor cells)
• Cell-type-specific binding sites to existing cells in the body
• Only bind to cells with the IFN-α receptor
• Can only bind to and upregulate p53 in cancer cells because the
IFN-α receptor is a biomarker that is only present on cancer cells
• MIA PaCa-2 Cells
• Model cell line for pancreatic cancer
• Mesothelin overexpression
http://goo.gl/K232Lq
4. Interferon Induced Cell Apoptosis
Release of
interferon
Binding of interferon
to IFN-α/β receptor
Protein kinase R
(PKR) activation
Upregulation of p53
transcription factor
Activation of PP2A
tumor suppressor
Induced cell
apoptosis and
tumor suppression
5. Purpose and Hypothesis
• The goal of this research is to create a method of
treatment for pancreatic carcinomas that is more
accurate than current technologies, which targets,
as well as destroys, only malignant cancer cells but
does no harm to existing healthy pancreatic cells.
• By binding interferons IFN-α and IFN-β that induce
cell apoptosis solely in cancer cells to gold
nanoparticles, these stabilized novel drug delivery
mechanisms will be more easily localized to a single
amalgamation of cells and will initiate programmed
cell death in pancreatic carcinoma cells alone.
7. Materials & Methods
• Gold nanoparticle formation
• Turkevich method
• Standard method of GNP synthesis
• Determination of Interferon Avidity
• Binding affinity of interferons to MIA PaCa-2 cells
• Interferons IFN-α and IFN-β bind to MIA PaCa-2 cells because they
have the IFN-α receptor on their surface
• Drug Vector Synthesis
• PEGylation of interferons IFN-α and IFN-βand binding with
biotinylated GNPs to create GNP/INF conjugates
• Binding molecules are attached to the interferons and GNPs to
facilitate conjugation
• Cell culture
• MIA PaCa cells cultured at 37.0° C in DMEM media
• Culture split after 48 hours
• Introduction of treatment
• Gold nanoparticle/interferon conjugates introduced directly to
MIA PaCa cell culture (100 mM)
• Controls
• MIA PaCa cells cultured without introduction of treatment
8. Data Collection Methods
• UV-Vis Spectrometry
• Confirm correct wavelength of GNPs
• Quantify size of particles
• Each wavelength measured corresponds to a certain size
of particle
• DLS Zetasizing
• Analyze zeta potential of GNP colloid
• Zeta potential is an arbitrary value that indicates the
stability of a particle
• Particles with higher zeta potentials do not biodegrade or
interact with physiological substrates
• Nuclear Staining via TUNEL Assay
• Measure cell apoptosis beginning 48 hours after
introduction of treatment and analyze with an optical
microscope to quantify apoptosis
• The TUNEL assay does not stain necrotic tissue; it only
quantifies cell apoptosis. This is integral in assuring that the
particles cause apoptosis and not total tissue death.
9. UV-Vis Spectrometry for GNPs
Above: UV-Vis Spectrometry of pure GNPs
(absorption vs. wavelength) **Sample E is a
control
Figure A: UV-Vis Spectrometry of biotinylated
GNPs (absorption vs. wavelength)
Figure B: UV-Vis Spectrometry of
GNP/Interferon conjugates
10. UV-Vis Spectrometry for GNPs
• Width of the peak indicates particle size
• Pure GNP Data Set:
• Small observed peak width and more specific
wavelength interval corresponds to particles with an initial
diameter of 2 nm
• Biotinylated GNP Data Set:
• Larger observed peak width and broader wavelength
interval than pure GNP data indicates that the biotin
binding molecules were successfully attached to the
GNPs
• GNP/Interferon Data Set:
• Largest observed peak width and broadest wavelength
interval of all data sets (pure GNPs and biotinylated
GNPs) indicates that the PEGylated interferon proteins
IFN-α and IFN-β were successfully conjugated to the
biotinylated gold nanoparticles. This peak size
corresponds to particles with a final diameter of 20 nm,
small enough that the particles will not impede biological
functions and processes
11. DLS Zetasizing
Sample Zeta Potential
A 69
B 68
C 72
D 68
Average of all samples 69.25
Sample Zeta Potential
A 62
B 64
C 67
D 68
Average of all
samples
65.25
Zeta potential
analysis of pure
gold nanoparticle
colloid
Zeta potential
analysis of
biotinylated gold
nanoparticle
colloid and
PEGylated
interferons IFN-α
and IFN-ß
12. DLS Zetasizing
• The zeta potential of a colloid indicates its stability and is
based on an arbitrary scale with a baseline 0, which
indicates zero stability of a colloid. Higher zeta potentials
denote more stable compounds.
• 0 to ±5 = Rapid coagulation or flocculation
• ±10 to ±30 = Incipient stability
• ±30 to ±40 = Moderate stability
• ±40 to ±60 = Good stability
• ±61 = Excellent stability
• The pure gold nanoparticle colloids had an average zeta
potential of 69.25. None of the samples had a zeta potential
of less than 68
• The GNP/Interferon conjugate colloids had an average zeta
potential of 65.25, signifying excellent stability after
conjugation. None of the samples had a zeta potential of
less than 62. Some of the stability of the particles was lost
after binding them with the interferons because the proteins
have a minute charge; however, this charge is insignificant
to the overall stability of the conjugates
13. Transfection of MIA PaCa-2 with
GNP/IFN Conjugates—TUNEL
Assay
Control Sample
No interferon protein
introduced to MIA PaCa-
2 cell culture.
Little to no cell apoptosis
observed in each culture
after 48 hours. All cultures
were stained using TUNEL.
Transfection with IFN-α
and IFN-β
Interferon proteins IFN-α
and IFN-β introduced to
MIA PaCa-2 cell culture.
Cell apoptosis
observed in every culture
transfected after 48
hours.
Transfection with
GNP/IFN-α and IFN-β
Conjugates
Gold nanoparticle/ IFN-α
and IFN-β protein conjugates
introduced to MIA PaCa-2
cell culture. Significant cell
apoptosis observed in every
culture transfected after 48
hours.
14. Transfection of MIA PaCa-2 with
GNP/IFN Conjugates—TUNEL
Assay
• Brown staining of cells indicates cell apoptosis
• Transfection of the MIA PaCa-2 cell culture with
interferons IFN-α and IFN-β causes cell apoptosis
within the culture; however, since the interferons are
broken down before binding with all of the cells,
apoptosis is less significant than when interferons are
stabilized with GNPs.
• Transfection of the MIA PaCa-2 cell culture with the
GNPs/interferon conjugates induces significant cell
apoptosis within the culture. Since the interferons
are stabilized with the gold nanoparticles, they are
not degraded before binding to the IFN-αreceptors
on the surface of the cells. This allows more time for
the interferons to bind to the IFN-α receptors and
initiate cell apoptosis by upregulating p53 before
the proteins are destroyed.
15. Results
• Determination of interferon avidity
• Interferons specific to MIA PaCa-2 cells
• Interferons will only bind to cancer cells (which express the IFN-α receptor
on their surfaces), leaving healthy, benign cells untouched and
untargeted by the conjugates because transcription factor p53 is not
upregulated in cells that are not mutated (healthy pancreatic tissue).
• Observation of wavelength shift
• ~535 λ ~580 λ
• Peak width increase indicates successful formation of GNP/IFN
conjugates.
• Determination of physiological suitability
• ~2 nm without interferons
• ~20 nm conjugated with interferons
• Conjugates remain below the size threshold for cellular suitability
• Size of particles does not impede necessary cellular or biological
functions. Size prevents bioaccumulation of particles, which can be
filtered out of the body via the kidneys
• Formation of highly stable colloid
• Zeta potential of ~65
• Particles will not biodegrade before reaching target site or interact with
physiological substrates.
• Induced Cell Apoptosis
• Stable interferon conjugates directed to cells cause programmed cell
death
16. Discussion and Application
• GNPs increase the stability of the interferon protein, allowing
it to reach the target site before being deconstructed by
the body
• Interferon-induced upregulation of p53
• Controlled cell-specific apoptosis
• Interferon presence within the body
• Easy disposal of particles
• Physiologically suitable
• Size, stability, binding affinity
• Easily filtered out of the blood by the kidneys
• Cancer treatment
• Pancreatic cancer
• Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
• Interact with biological substrates
• Issues with treatment localization
• New Cancer Therapies
• Interferons are easily localized, do not interact with physiological
substrates, and do not interrupt crucial biological processes, making
them interesting and novel options as cures for cancer, especially for
those who are not candidates for other treatments
17. Future Research
• Genetic analysis of treated MIA PaCa-2 cell culture
and untreated MIA PaCa-2 cell culture
• Compare the effects of the interferon protein on the
genetic code of pancreatic cancer cells
• Assessment of efficacy of GNP/interferon
conjugates compared to that of radiation and
chemotherapy
• Clinical study of biological effects of GNP/IFN drug
delivery mechanism on M. musculus
• Injection of drug vector into tumor site
• Analysis of tumor suppression and effects of GNP
conjugates on mouse physiology
• Additional experimentation of GNP/IFN drug
delivery mechanisms in differentiated cancer cell
lines (HeLa, MCF-7, a549)
18. Bibliography
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interferon” Science 219 (1983): 851-853
3. Liao et al. “Interferon-inducible protein 16: insight into the interaction with tumor suppressor
p53.” Structure 19 (2011): 418-429
4. Xie et al. “The tumor suppressor interferon regulatory factor 1 interferes with SP1 activation to
repress the human CDK2 promoter.” Journal of Biological Chemistry 278 (2003): 26589-26596
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death ligand TRAIL” EMBO Journal 23 (2004): 3051- 3060
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