GNR@mSiO2-TDM1 conjugates as multimodal platform for breast cancer therapy as well as enhanced photoacoustic agent

The development of combination of two or more therapies to fight against cancer together has been important research in oncology. Here we rationally designed a novel nanodrug which can incorporate active targeting, antibody therapy, drug therapy and photothermal therapy within one single platform to fight against Her2-positive breast cancer. To this end, a layer of mesoporous SiO2 was encapsulated onto the gold nanorods followed by covalent association of breast cancer drug TDM1 to the silica shell. TDM1 is an antibody drug conjugate consisting of engineered antibody trastuzumab and anti-miotic agent emtansine. Drug therapy followed by photothermal therapy using NIR laser (793nm) specifically ablated Her2-positive breast cancer cells with enhanced efficiency. In addition, the engineered nanodrug has amplified photoacoustic performance allowing sensitive detection of Her2-positive cancer cells.