Potential investigation of using temperature sensitive liposomes decorated with gold nanoparticles for combined photothermal/chemo therapy of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a highly fatal disease with a 5-year survival rate of 4-8% and a mortality rate of 98%. The incidence and mortality rates of this disease are increasing and it is predicted to be the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths by 2030. Symptoms of pancreatic cancer often appear in the advanced stages of the disease, making it difficult to treat. Surgical resection is the only treatment option available but is only possible in a small percentage of patients. Even with resection, the recurrence rate of the disease is high. Chemotherapy is used in patients who cannot be resectioned, but its effectiveness is limited due to various factors such as low and heterogeneous drug accumulation in tumors, development of resistance by the fibrotic stroma surrounding the tumor, and toxicity. Nanocarrier systems have been proposed as a way to overcome the limitations of chemotherapy. In particular, liposomes are immunogenic and non-toxic, making them a popular choice for encapsulation of therapeutic agents. Temperature-sensitive liposomes have also been explored as an alternative to increase drug release efficacy. Also, photothermal therapy is a new cancer therapy that uses photo-absorbing and near-infrared NIR irradiation to induce hyperthermia and destroy cancer cells. Gold nanoparticles are increasingly used in photothermal therapy due to their good photo-absorbing properties. This study aims to investigate the hyperthermia and drug release properties of a liposomal drug delivery system decorated with gold nanoparticles in the presence of photothermal therapy. The aim is to develop a system that can be used as a synergistic therapy agent for pancreatic cancer. The work will include preliminary research to control and examine hyperthermia and drug release properties. Upon successful completion, a comprehensive project will be prepared, including formulation development and invivo/in-vitro studies. The findings of this study could potentially lead to the development of an effective treatment for pancreatic cancer, improving patients' survival rate and quality of life.