Development of Hybrid Silica Nanoparticle Platforms: Design, evaluation and translation from lab to clinic

Despite recent advances in imaging probe development for biomedicine, the translation of targeted diagnostic platforms remains challenging. Nanomaterials platforms currently under evaluation in oncology clinical trials are largely non-targeted drug delivery vehicles or devices to thermally treat tissue; these are not typically surface modified for direct detection by clinical imaging tools. New tumor-selective platforms need to satisfy critical safety benchmarks, in addition to assaying targeted interactions with the microenvironment and their effects on biological systems. Coupled with metabolic imaging and analysis tools, such as PET, complete and quantitatively accurate data sets for whole body distributions, targeting kinetics, and clearance profiles of new diagnostic platforms undergoing preclinical testing or transitioning into early-phase clinical trials can be acquired.