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Gates Institute—The at the , in partnership with , has announced the recipients of its . The awardees include Wyatt Shields (CU Boulder Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering), partnering with Benjamin Bitler (CU Anschutz) on their project Macrophage Backpacks for Delivering Olaparib to High-Grade Serous Carcinomas.

High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) remains the most lethal ovarian cancer subtype. Drugs known as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi), including olaparib (OLAP), are commonly used as maintenance therapy following response to platinum chemotherapy. Although OLAP provides an increased benefit for BRCA-mutated tumors, it is limited by systemic toxicities and a rare but serious risk of developing blood cancers such as myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia. Shields, Bitler and CU PhD student Courtney Bailey addressed these barriers with a targeted delivery system utilizing a macrophage-bound discoidal particle (“backpack”; Mac-BP). Backpacks are fabricated from a biodegradable polymer that enables controlled drug release. Their discoidal geometry prevents phagocytosis, allowing stable attachment to macrophages and subsequent trafficking and delivery to tumors, thereby reducing undesirable side effects. The Gates Grubstake funding will help support readiness for IND-directed development to enable clinical translation of Mac-BPs.

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