HENRY:

NanoTag&Target
By Abbie Ottosen and Rylee Nepple
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Henry has non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which is caused by a weakened immune

system, which makes the body produce too many abnormal lymphocytes (white
blood cells). The lymphocytes do not stop growing and reproducing, which
causes the lymph nodes to swell. Essentially, there are cancerous lymphocytes
in the lymph nodes.

Henry is in remission after receiving an autologous transplant (stem cells), which

replaced the cells that were damaged before.
Current Treatment

Chemotherapy- A drug given orally or by injection, and it kills cancer cells.

Radiation- Uses high-powered energy beams to kill cancer cells.

Stem-cell treatment- Uses high doses of chemotherapy and radiation to

suppress your bone marrow. Then, stem cells are infused into the blood and will
replenish and rebuild bone marrow.

Medication- Different biotherapy drugs can be used to help the body’s immune
system.
 Our Treatment: NanoTag&Target
Treatment will be delivered via injection into the area of the immune system that is swelling, or has non-
Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The treatment will only be able to enter white blood cells. After 24 hours, the patient
will take a cysteine protease pill that will kill all the tagged cells. The treatment is relatively non-invasive, as
it is simply a needle injection like a shot and then the consumption of a pill.

The initial injection leaves aspartic acid residue on the white blood cells. After 24 hours, the participant will
take a pill that contains Cysteine proteases, which should force the cell into apoptosis when it comes into
contact with the aspartic acid residue. The combination of aspartic acid and cysteine proteases is the same
combination of proteins that occur naturally in the cell when it goes through apoptosis, so when the
proteins are injected into the cell and come in contact, they should force the cell into apoptosis.

This method of treatment will eliminate swelling in the affected area, and could eliminate the cancer, and if
it does not kill all the cancerous cells, multiple rounds of treatment could happen.
Our Treatment: NanoTag&Target

The particles of the injection, aspartic acid residue, which is a protein, will be
encased in a small capsule that is bigger than a red blood cell (~8 µm), but
smaller than a white blood cell (~20 µm). The capsule will be able to penetrate
the WBC’s cell membrane and enter inside, where the capsule will be dissolved,
releasing the aspartic acid. Once the pill is consumed, it will release the cysteine
proteases, which do not need to enter any specific cells, as they will only cause
a reaction when they come in contact with the aspartic acid, forcing the cells into
apoptosis.
Our Treatment- Why it is better

Typical treatment involves doses of chemotherapy over months of treatment or

radiation therapy. Both of these treatments can be painful, lengthy, and generally
unpleasant to go through. Our treatment is much quicker than any other options
and much less invasive. Our treatment is also much easier on the patient and
the doctors involved and will be cheaper all around. Chemotherapy or radiation
therapy can be upwards of $10,000, while we estimate our new treatment plan
will be available for only a few hundred dollars.
 Study of the Efficiency and Safety of
NanoTag&Target Treatment in Patients with
Non-Hodkins Lymphoma

Goal: To determine if a simpler, noninvasive method of treatment is as effective

in killing cells affected by Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as typical treatment.

Hypothesis: If the infected cells begin to die after taking the secondary
medication (pill), then the new treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is
working because it is effectively killing the cancerous cells.
Clinical Trial

Parameters: Must be between the ages of 50 and 70 (most common age for
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma), must be diagnosed with NHL, and must not have
any other immune system disorders.

Cannot have familial history of cancer of any kind, cannot be a increased risk for
other cancers, and cannot have any allergies to the medication being used.

The trial group will consist of an even amount of men and women.
Clinical Trial

Potential Risk: Because the first injection does not target only infected cells, but
all WBC, any WBC that the medication comes into contact with will also die.
However, because NHL is often centralized at the early stages, this won’t affect
WBC all over the body. However, a good amount of WBC will be killed, which
could result in health risks.

Potential Benefits: The treatment is fast acting and far less invasive than
chemotherapy and radiation. Also, NHL can potentially be eliminated in a shorter
time span and with less complications. The treatment can prevent metastasis
and quickly stop the spreading of the cancerous cells.
Trial Design

Randomized trial:

● The people that get the new treatment and those that undergo normal
treatment will be chosen at random.
● The control group will go through a typical treatment of chemotherapy and
radiation.
● The treatment group will go through NanoTag&Target treatment

Independent variable: The new treatment

Dependent variable: Efficiency of treatment, and status of NHL
Control: Normal treatment
Clinical Trial Phases

Phase 1: Determine if the medicine and tag are harmful and what the side
effects are. 50 people will be in this phase.

Phase 2: Learn about more side effects and determine how effective the
technique is against NHL. 200 people will be in this phase.

Phase 3: Establish a clear understanding of the effectiveness of this treatment

and medicine. 2,000 people will be in this phase.

Phase 4: Enter the treatment into the market, and determine the risks, benefits,
and optimal use of the drug.
Safety Procedures

The scientist will wear gloves when administering the treatment and will dispose
of the needles after usage on the patient, following sanitary procedures. Injection
and solid medication must be kept separate from other medications and each
other to prevent any contamination without knowing of the possible interactions.

The patients that receive the treatment will not take any medicine that interfere
with the immune system or their blood, unless approved by the doctor. The
patient must keep the medicine in a room temperature environment.
Citations
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. (2018, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/non-hodgkins-
lymphoma/symptoms-causes/syc-20375680.

Janeway, C. A., & Jr. (1970, January 1). B-cell activation by armed helper T cells. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27142/.

Deane, P., Deane, P., Jim, & Plymouth University. (2017, October 17). B Cells: The Antibody Factories of the Immune System.
Retrieved from https://www.leafscience.org/b-cells/.

Alberts, B. (1970, January 1). Programmed Cell Death (Apoptosis). Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26873/.

Verma, S., Dixit, R., & Pandey, K. C. (2016, April 25). Cysteine Proteases: Modes of Activation and Future Prospects as
Pharmacological Targets. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4842899/.Verma, S., Dixit, R., & Pandey,
K. C. (2016, April 25). Cysteine Proteases: Modes of Activation and Future Prospects as Pharmacological Targets. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4842899/.

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/scale/.