Self-assembled polymeric theranostics for hepatic fibrosis - an approach to non-invasive staging and targeted drug delivery
Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a common pathological feature of different liver diseases. Liver cells, in particular, the hepatocytes have excellent ability to regenerate. The regeneration mechanism is mainly controlled by a special cell population called hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). However, during chronic injuries, the activated HSCs undergoes phenotypic transformation into myofibroblast-like cells and leads to the development of fibrous (scar) tissue. Despite better knowledge of HF pathophysiology, the existing diagnostic and therapeutic techniques are not effective in clinical practice. The main aim of this project is to develop biodegradable polymeric micelles, and evaluate their performance and intrahepatic distribution in various stages of fibrosis (mild to advanced) using different fibrotic animal models. Further, applying this knowledge to develop a theranostic nanoparticle system for HF and ultimately testing the applicability of positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) to non-invasively stage and monitor the resolution of HF is a secondary goal.
