# Administrative Supplements for Equipment Purchases for Select NIGMS_Akala

> **NIH NIH R16** · HOWARD UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $96,472

## Abstract

Abstract of the Parent Grant Award
Project Summary: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for approximately 15% of invasive breast
cancers and is associated with aggressive tumor biology, poor prognosis, resistance, visceral metastases and
earlier disease recurrence. TNBC is more common in younger women than in older women and in African-
American and Hispanic women. Platinum-based drugs showed higher sensitivity in TNBC compared to non-
TNBC patients and recently there has been a renewed interest for platinum therapy in TNBC, especially
combination of carboplatin with paclitaxel (PTX). Sacituzumab govitecan is made up of an anti–Trop-2 antibody
linked to the chemotherapy drug (SN-38) and was cleared by the FDA for TNBC patients who have undergone
at least two prior chemotherapies. The FDA granted an accelerated approval for the immunotherapy drug
atezolizumab in combination with chemotherapy (nab-paclitaxel) for the treatment of TNBC (for tumors positive
for PD-L1). Thus chemotherapy is important in the therapeutic management of TNBC even in the advent
of immunotherapy and targeted therapy. However, chemotherapies are known to cause fatal peripheral
neuropathy in addition to poor response, metastasis, relapse and development of multidrug resistance. The
goal of this application is the development of multifunctional targeted nanoparticles capable of achieving better
outcomes for TNBC patients: (a) targeted delivery of large doses of multiple drugs into cancer cells (per a single
biorecognition event compared to a single immunotargeted drug (e.g. sacituzumab govitecan-hziy)) to maximize
therapeutic effects while reducing systemic toxicity (off target toxicity); (b) EGFR-receptor targeted nanoparticles
that promote intracellular drug delivery and release and which can bypass multidrug resistant protein (p-
glycoprotein) which mediates efflux of drug molecules; (c) capable of long circulation without being sequestered
into the liver. EGFR is overexpressed by TNBC and literature is replete with examples of the use of cetuximab
in therapy by targeting EFGR. We hypothesize that the development of biodegradable polymeric
nanotechnology platform containing carboplatin and paclitaxel in the core and using cetuximab (tagged on
nanoparticle surface) as a targeting moiety will improve TNBC patients’ outcomes, unlike repeated
chemotherapy cycles with high doses of cytotoxic drugs. We hypothesize that the dual-loaded multifunctional
targeted nanoparticles will be active in vitro and show in vivo efficacy in mouse xenograft models of TNBC
positive tumors. Aim #1: Fabrication of polymeric dye-loaded and-paclitaxel and carboplatin-loaded stealth
hydrolysable crosslinked cetuximab surface-targeted polylactide (PLL) nanoparticles. Aim #2: Characterization
of anti-EGFR mAb (cetuximab) surface-targeted-PLL-nanoparticles containing carboplatin and paclitaxel in the
core. Aim #3: Biodistribution and efficacy studies in tumor-bearing mice. This work will bring t...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10793724
- **Project number:** 3R16GM145483-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** HOWARD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** EMMANUEL O AKALA
- **Activity code:** R16 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $96,472
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10793724

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10793724, Administrative Supplements for Equipment Purchases for Select NIGMS_Akala (3R16GM145483-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10793724. Licensed CC0.

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