Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Over 40% of marketed drugs are poorly water-soluble, which reduces the drugs' potency and can cause severe side effects. Attaching a highly water-soluble compound to these drugs is a simple way to improve their water solubility. Although this approach is frequently used, a majority of reports in the literature only disclose one compound without exploring other potential structures. This reported compound may not be the optimal candidate to reach and eradicate its target. Because each drug has its own unique chemical profile, I hypothesize that the method used to incorporate the water-soluble compound needs to be fine-tuned to obtain the best version of the drug. Very few reports in the literature explore other versions of the drug before performing expensive experiments on cell lines and animals. Unfortunately, resources are invested on likely a subpar drug candidate. In my thesis project, I have developed a chemical method that allows for easy attachment of water-soluble compounds to existing chemotherapy drugs used for breast cancer treatment. First, attaching these water-soluble compounds to the drug will increase drug solubility. Second, these water-soluble derivatives of the drug self-assemble into particles that are approximately 1000 times smaller than the diameter of a single strand of hair. Because of its shape and size, these particles display prolonged blood circulation, selective accumulation in tumors, and can release the drug once at its target site. Breast cancer is an ever-prevalent disease, as it makes up approximately 25% of new cases of cancer and 13% of all cancer deaths in Canadian women. Those undergoing chemotherapy treatment often experience side effects that are a direct result of off-targeting effects. My research offers a way to improve the delivery and increase the chances of the drug reaching its target. This method can also be used to modify a wide variety of drugs that are used to treat other diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.