Bioengineered Ionic Liquid for Catheter-Directed Tissue Ablation, Drug Delivery, and Embolization

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Oncology
• Interventional Radiology

Background:

• Therapeutic delivery to solid tumors is hindered by poor bioavailability, limiting chemotherapy and immunotherapy efficacy.
• Effective vascular embolization and targeted drug delivery are crucial for solid tumor treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel bioengineered ionic liquid embolic (ILE) agent for enhanced therapeutic delivery, tumor ablation, and infection prevention.
• To assess the performance of ILE compared to clinically used embolic agents in preclinical models.

Main Methods:

• Catheter-directed delivery of ILE in porcine models for vascular embolization, tissue ablation, and drug delivery.
• Treatment of rabbit VX2 orthotopic liver tumors using trans-arterial delivery of Nivolumab via ILE.
• Evaluation of ILE in human ex vivo tumor tissue and assessment of its antimicrobial properties against patient-derived bacteria.

Main Results:

• ILE demonstrated durable vascular embolization and uniform tissue ablation in porcine models, outperforming existing agents.
• Successful trans-arterial delivery of Nivolumab and effective tumor ablation were achieved in rabbit liver tumors.
• ILE showed efficacy in human ex vivo tumor tissue and significant antimicrobial activity against resistant bacteria, preventing abscess formation.

Conclusions:

• ILE represents a new class of liquid embolic agents with potential for tumor treatment and improved therapeutic delivery.
• ILE can enhance chemo- and immunotherapy response by improving drug bioavailability and preventing infectious complications.
• This technology offers a promising approach to overcome current limitations in solid tumor treatment.