GOLD NANOROD PHOTOTHERMAL THERAPY IN A GENETICALLY ENGINEERED MOUSE MODEL OF SOFT TISSUE SARCOMA

Plasmonic nanomaterials are poised to impact the clinical management of cancer through their ability to convert externally applied energy into localized heat at sites of diseased tissue. However, characterization of plasmonic nanomaterials as cancer therapeutics has been limited to xenograft models, creating a need to extend these findings to more clinically relevant models of cancer. Here, we evaluate the method of photothermal ablation therapy in a genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) of sarcoma, which more accurately recapitulates the human disease in terms of structure and biology than subcutaneous xenograft models. Using polyethylene glycol (PEG)coated gold nanorods (PEG-NRs), we quantitatively evaluate the ability of nanoparticles to penetrate and accumulate in sarcomas through passive targeting mechanisms. We demonstrate that PEG-NR-mediated photothermal heating results in significant delays in tumor growth with no progression in some instances. Lastly, by evaluating our photothermal ablation protocol in a GEMM, we observe off-target heating effects that are not detectable in xenograft models and which may be of future clinical interest.