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X-Ray activated pharmaceutical therapy is highly sought after as it provides deep tissue, synergistic method of treating cancers in which the standard method of care involves radiotherapy. Traditional drugs utilized as neoadjuvant chemotherapy have significant side effects and a lack of selectivity, leaving a dire need for targeted drug delivery methods. We have recently developed a unique delivery platform whereby the drug is conjugated to an alkylcobalamin vitamin B12 scaffold, and these alkylcobalamins are actively transported into cells by transcobalamin receptors (TCblR). A large number of cancer types have enhanced expression of these receptors; therefore, the drug-cobalamin conjugate could be effectively ferried into the tumor selectively via the TCblR pathway. This delivery system provides light-activatable release of chemotherapeutics. Due to the drug becoming active at the specific site that it is needed, such as a tumor, the potential side effects of that drug in organs at risk are mitigated. As a proof of concept, we have found that a fluorescent cobalamin derivative localized within xenograft tumors in mice, demonstrating the effectiveness of the vitamin B12 scaffold as a theranostic targeting agent. In addition, this derivative is also activated with clinical X-ray doses from a linear accelerator. We explored the ability of a variety of cobalamin drug conjugates to be used in combination with radiotherapy to elicit an enhanced reduction in tumor margins in pancreatic adenocarcinoma models.
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