Cancer treatments are going hog wild.
While a rare and aggressive form of eye cancer that often affects babies and young children, retinoblastoma (RB) can be difficult to treat due to the barrier surrounding the eye.
However, a new and more effective method, harnessed from an unlikely part of pigs, may offer a safer way to treat eye cancer.
Traditional methods to treat RB, such as injections, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, are often painful and cause vision loss and other serious side effects.
A study published in Science Advances found that tiny vesicles released by cells, known as exosomes, present in pig semen can cross biological barriers with the aid of specific proteins, making them promising drug carriers.
To test this method, the research team created an eye drop of semen-derived exosomes (SEVs) combined with folic acid and a CMG nanozyme system (miniature materials that mimic natural enzyme functions).
The folic acid targets the tumorous cells, allowing the CMG system to cause them to self-destruct while sparing healthy tissue.
Meanwhile, the SEVs temporarily and reversibly open the eye’s protective layers to carry in the other components of the treatment.
The drops were able to enter the eye through two routes: the cornea (the outermost layer) and the conjunctiva, or the thin, clear membrane between the eyelid and the eye.
This dual method of entry provides a promising multidirectional attack against the disease, according to researchers.
A significant reduction in tumor size over 30 days of eye drop treatment was seen in mice, which had only around 2% of the residual tumor mass left.
Untreated mice, however, suffered from severe neovascularization, or rapid, abnormal growth of fragile blood vessels in the eye, and decreased vision.
This research marks a shift in how childhood eye cancer could be treated, allowing for more needle-free and less invasive options that can avoid potential damage and toxicity.
Signs of retinoblastoma include a white glow — which may only appear in certain lights or a squint — as well as a change in the appearance of the eye, or a swollen eye.
Often only one sign is present in those diagnosed.
The researchers also noted that this method may be useful for other ocular diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy.
However, further research and development are necessary before human trials can take place, and then large-scale production and translation to clinical use.
