Event

MS Thesis Defense - Kassa Tizale

Tuesday, May 27, 2025
3:30 p.m.
AJC4104
Rachel Chang
301 405 8268
rachel53@umd.edu

Title: Ethyl Cellulose-Ethanol-Benzoporphyrin Derivative-Lipiodol (ECE-BPD-Lipiodol) an Image-Guided Therapeutic Formulation for Localized and Locally Advanced Cancer

Committee members:

Dr. Huang Chiao Huang, Chair

Dr. Giuliano Scarcelli

Dr. Nariman Nezami

Abstract:

Localized and locally advanced cancers represent critical stages for therapeutic intervention, offering the potential for curative outcomes and prevention of metastatic progression. However, current treatment modalities, including surgical resection, locoregional therapies, and systemic treatments, face significant limitations due to anatomical constraints, organ-level restrictions, and patient-specific comorbidities. Ethyl Cellulose-Ethanol-Benzoporphyrin Derivative (ECE-BPD) has previously demonstrated significant potential as an effective therapy for these cancers, combining ethanol ablation and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with advanced drug delivery mechanisms to achieve enhanced tumor control, reduced collateral damage, and a lower likelihood of recurrence. However, the original formulation relied on fluorescence imaging for depot visualization, which is limited by poor depth penetration, challenges to 3D visualization, and restricted integration into clinical workflows. To address these limitations, this work advances the ECE-BPD formulation by incorporating Lipiodol, a radiopaque agent, to enable computed tomography (CT) image-guided capabilities. This enhancement introduces deep tissue visualization, precise 3D reconstruction, and long-term monitoring, significantly improving the formulation’s clinical applicability.

The optimized ECE-BPD-Lipiodol formulation was developed through systematic investigation of key parameters, including ethyl cellulose (EC) concentration, Lipiodol incorporation ratios, and benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD) concentrations. A 6% EC (w/w) concentration and 25% Lipiodol (v/v) ratio were identified as optimal for maintaining sol-gel transition properties, localized therapeutic retention, and sufficient radiopacity for CT imaging. Characterization studies demonstrate that the incorporation of Lipiodol does not significantly alter the formulation’s optical or photochemical properties, including PDT activation potential, while introducing robust CT imaging capabilities for precise visualization and monitoring of therapeutic depots.