Pancreatic cancer is one of the most severe cancers found in developed countries, with most patients diagnosed with it succumbing to the disease. This in large part is due to the lack of a timely detection mechanism. The goal of this research is to develop a way to detect pancreatic cancer much earlier than with current techniques. Exploiting the fact that 90% of patients have a known mutation in their k-ras gene, a multi-functional organic nanoparticle is being developed to non-invasively detect the presence of this mutation and cancer.

We propose the following mechanism to detect this cancer. A peptide nucleic acid (PNA) has been designed to specifically bind to the RNA found in pancreatic cancer patients. To follow the location and accumulation of the PNA inside the body, it will be coupled to a dendrimer. Dendrimers were chosen due to their unique form and functional density. The large number of endgroups are functionalized with a contrast agent to allow detection through MRI.

The fate of these organic nanoparticles in solution and in vivo is not fully understood and is being studied. Depending on solvent, the endgroups of dendrimers may be either expressed or encapsulated. To examine the thermodynamic properties of the organic nanoparticles, molecular dynamics simulations are being employed to model dendrimers as well as the functionalized dendrimer. This will ultimately further the understanding of the organic nanoparticle behavior as well as aid in improving its design.

To assist in the development of the proposed MRI detection scheme, the transfection rate of the organic nanoparticle into pancreatic cancer cells is being investigated in vitro. The kinetic data will be used within the framework of a whole-body transport model to predict the whole-body and tumor MRI response. The modeling and in vitro laboratory experiments will accelerate the development of a robust diagnostic method for pancreatic cancer.