Personalized siRNA-Nanoparticle Systemic Therapy using Metastatic Lymph Node Specimens Obtained with EBUS-TBNA in Lung Cancer.

Inhibiting specific gene expression with siRNA provides a new therapeutic strategy to tackle many diseases at the molecular level. Recent strategies called high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mimicking peptide-phospholipid nanoscaffold (HPPS) nanoparticles have been used to induce siRNAs-targeted delivery to scavenger receptor class B type I receptor (SCARB1) -expressing cancer cells with high efficiency. Here, eight ideal therapeutic target genes were identified for advanced lung cancer throughout the screenings using endobronchial ultrasonography-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and the establishment of a personalized siRNA-nanoparticle therapy. The relevance of these genes was evaluated by means of siRNA experiments in cancer cell growth. To establish a therapeutic model, kinesin family member-11 (KIF11) was selected as a target gene. A total of 356 lung cancers were analyzed immunohistochemically for its clinicopathologic significance. The antitumor effect of HPPS-conjugated siRNA was evaluated in vivo using xenograft tumor models. Inhibition of gene expression for these targets effectively suppressed lung cancer cell growth. SCARB1 was highly expressed in a subset of tumors from the lung large-cell carcinoma (LCC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. High-level KIF11 expression was identified as an independent prognostic factor in LCC and squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) patients. Finally, a conjugate of siRNA against KIF11 and HPPS nanoparticles induced downregulation of KIF11 expression and mediated dramatic inhibition of tumor growth in vivo Implications: This approach showed delivering personalized cancer-specific siRNAs via the appropriate nanocarrier may be a novel therapeutic option for patients with advanced lung cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 16(1); 47-57. ©2017 AACR .