Characterization of Testosterone-loaded PDMS Pellets for a Mouse Model of Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Friday, May 31, 2019

9:00 AM-11:00 AM

BIOMED Master's Thesis Defense

Title:
Characterization of Testosterone-loaded Polydimethylsiloxane Pellets for a Mouse Model of Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Speaker:
John Quinlan, Master's Candidate
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University

Advisors:
Alessandro Fatatis, MD, PhD
Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Physiology
Drexel University College of Medicine

Fred Allen, PhD
Teaching Professor
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University

Abstract:
Approximately 1 in 6 men are affected by prostate cancer, making it the most common cancer among men in the United States. For localized disease, the five-year survival rates are around 99%, however 2 out of every 3 patients that progress to metastatic disease will succumb to prostate cancer within five years. Androgens play a significant role in prostate cancer progression and biology and are a therapeutic target to slow metastatic progression. Most mouse models that are used to study prostate cancer do not incorporate changes in androgen level into the system.

Here, we produce and characterize a silicone-based pellet loaded with testosterone optimized for use in a mouse model. The pellet provides slow release of bioactive testosterone in vitro and induces no cytotoxicity. Subcutaneously implanted in mice, the pellet provides elevated testosterone levels for two weeks, and surgical removal of the pellet causes serum testosterone levels to drop to castrate levels within two days. Importantly, the pellet induces minimal inflammation as observed histologically, meaning that the pellet can be implemented in a mouse model of metastatic prostate cancer without inducing the release of cytokines and other factors that may alter disease biology.

Contact Information

Ken Barbee
215-895-1335
barbee@drexel.edu