Nanoparticle formulation of small DNA molecules, Dbait, improves the sensitivity of hormone-independent prostate cancer to radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is a key component of prostate cancer treatment. Because of its importance, there has been high interest in developing agents and strategies to further improve the therapeutic efficacy of radiotherapy. In this study, we engineered a nanoparticle formulation of Dbait, a new class of DNA damage repair inhibitor, with H1 (folate-polyethylenimine600-cyclodextrin) nanopolymer. We demonstrated that H1/Dbait nanoparticle was a potent radiosensitizer in vitro and in vivo. Our study supports further investigations using nanoparticles to deliver DNA damage repair inhibitors to improve the therapeutic index of radiotherapy for prostate cancer.241