Evaluation of peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy in breast cancer and neuroblastoma, in combination with the radio-sensitizing drug VIP-116

Cancer being one of the leading causes of death globally, raises an international fight to defeat and finally conquer cancer. It represents more than 200 different diseases that individually have varying symptoms and treatments. The p53-pathway is of great interest as it has shown to be crucial in the formation of cancerous cells. One method is to use peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy to target somatostatin receptors that are overexpressed on cancer cells. The somatostatin-receptor analogue DOTATATE is a peptide that targets these receptors. In this project, the radionuclide (177Lu) is attached to DOTATATE to achieve a localized radiation effect targeting only the tumour cells and not surrounding tissue. In combination with the radiation-sensitizing drug VIP-116, the effect is supposedly enhanced. The findings of this project conclude the specific targeting of 177Lu-DOTATATE and the potential of VIP-116 to act as a radiosensitizer. The combination of both components works more efficiently on some cell lines than others, which emphasizes the need for tailored cancer therapies.