1
00:00:05,430 --> 00:00:03,750
this morning we have some news about

2
00:00:07,829 --> 00:00:05,440
developments resulting from a space

3
00:00:10,150 --> 00:00:07,839
station science experiment that began

4
00:00:12,629 --> 00:00:10,160
more than 11 years ago

5
00:00:15,589 --> 00:00:12,639
the micro encapsulation electrostatic

6
00:00:17,349 --> 00:00:15,599
processing system or meps was recently

7
00:00:19,750 --> 00:00:17,359
cited by international space station

8
00:00:22,070 --> 00:00:19,760
chief scientist dr julie robinson as

9
00:00:23,750 --> 00:00:22,080
number one on her list of the top 10

10
00:00:26,710 --> 00:00:23,760
research results on the space station

11
00:00:28,630 --> 00:00:26,720
during its first 15 years in space that

12
00:00:31,509 --> 00:00:28,640
was a space station science experiment

13
00:00:33,590 --> 00:00:31,519
that flew during expedition 5.

14
00:00:35,670 --> 00:00:33,600
well today the company that licensed the

15
00:00:37,830 --> 00:00:35,680
meps technology for use in cancer

16
00:00:39,750 --> 00:00:37,840
treatments is moving toward human

17
00:00:42,150 --> 00:00:39,760
clinical trials in the treatment of

18
00:00:44,950 --> 00:00:42,160
breast cancer joining us today is dr

19
00:00:47,029 --> 00:00:44,960
dennis morrison a former jsc scientist

20
00:00:49,750 --> 00:00:47,039
who is the principal investigator on the

21
00:00:52,389 --> 00:00:49,760
meps he is uh now a vice president with

22
00:00:53,830 --> 00:00:52,399
new view therapeutics the company that i

23
00:00:56,150 --> 00:00:53,840
referred to

24
00:00:58,150 --> 00:00:56,160
start by telling us what it was you were

25
00:01:01,270 --> 00:00:58,160
looking to achieve when you started the

26
00:01:03,029 --> 00:01:01,280
meps research on the station in 2002

27
00:01:05,670 --> 00:01:03,039
sure perhaps

28
00:01:07,750 --> 00:01:05,680
the tendency for therapy

29
00:01:09,910 --> 00:01:07,760
in cancer treatment now is to go to

30
00:01:12,870 --> 00:01:09,920
what's called focal therapy to try to

31
00:01:15,030 --> 00:01:12,880
put a focus on the tumor itself instead

32
00:01:17,270 --> 00:01:15,040
of having to expose the body to all the

33
00:01:19,190 --> 00:01:17,280
treatment therapies so for radiation

34
00:01:21,510 --> 00:01:19,200
it's a matter of focusing the radiation

35
00:01:24,149 --> 00:01:21,520
for chemotherapy it's a techniques to be

36
00:01:25,990 --> 00:01:24,159
able to deliver the chemotherapy drugs

37
00:01:28,630 --> 00:01:26,000
directly into the tumor instead of

38
00:01:31,109 --> 00:01:28,640
having to give so much all systemically

39
00:01:33,270 --> 00:01:31,119
our approach to this was to make liquid

40
00:01:35,749 --> 00:01:33,280
filled micro balloons these are like a

41
00:01:38,069 --> 00:01:35,759
children's water balloon

42
00:01:39,990 --> 00:01:38,079
full of a cancer drug

43
00:01:42,870 --> 00:01:40,000
and a contrast agent so that you can

44
00:01:45,590 --> 00:01:42,880
actually visualize them in real time as

45
00:01:47,590 --> 00:01:45,600
they're being deposited in the tumor

46
00:01:50,230 --> 00:01:47,600
and then the outside skin rather than

47
00:01:52,630 --> 00:01:50,240
being a rubber component is made of

48
00:01:54,310 --> 00:01:52,640
biocompatible polymers that lets the

49
00:01:56,310 --> 00:01:54,320
drug slowly be released or slowly

50
00:01:59,030 --> 00:01:56,320
disintegrates over time so it disappears

51
00:02:01,109 --> 00:01:59,040
after a while a release system exactly

52
00:02:03,109 --> 00:02:01,119
so the approach was to make these unique

53
00:02:05,030 --> 00:02:03,119
micro balloons in precisely the right

54
00:02:07,350 --> 00:02:05,040
kind of quality conditions

55
00:02:09,029 --> 00:02:07,360
the difficulty was is that the way we

56
00:02:10,710 --> 00:02:09,039
elected to make them

57
00:02:13,750 --> 00:02:10,720
the different liquids three different

58
00:02:16,390 --> 00:02:13,760
liquids are different densities so on an

59
00:02:18,070 --> 00:02:16,400
earth they stratify into layers

60
00:02:19,670 --> 00:02:18,080
as a result it's hard to get them to

61
00:02:21,910 --> 00:02:19,680
come together to form little micro

62
00:02:23,270 --> 00:02:21,920
balloons and form a skin in the right

63
00:02:25,270 --> 00:02:23,280
proportions

64
00:02:27,350 --> 00:02:25,280
when we go to microgravity surface

65
00:02:29,589 --> 00:02:27,360
tension takes over and all liquids go

66
00:02:32,070 --> 00:02:29,599
spherical so it makes it much easier to

67
00:02:34,150 --> 00:02:32,080
put a sphere with another sphere and

68
00:02:36,390 --> 00:02:34,160
form a skin around the outside

69
00:02:38,390 --> 00:02:36,400
and the trick was is to be able to learn

70
00:02:40,470 --> 00:02:38,400
how to control those conditions so that

71
00:02:42,630 --> 00:02:40,480
eventually we can make them on earth and

72
00:02:44,070 --> 00:02:42,640
that was what the space interference did

73
00:02:45,670 --> 00:02:44,080
and in the space station that was the

74
00:02:47,750 --> 00:02:45,680
definitive experiments when we did eight

75
00:02:49,190 --> 00:02:47,760
experiments encapsulated seven different

76
00:02:50,390 --> 00:02:49,200
kind of drugs and a genetically

77
00:02:52,150 --> 00:02:50,400
engineered dna

78
00:02:54,309 --> 00:02:52,160
we have to have a picture that we can

79
00:02:57,030 --> 00:02:54,319
show of what that looks like

80
00:02:58,869 --> 00:02:57,040
yes on the left there are microcapsules

81
00:03:02,390 --> 00:02:58,879
that were formed in space

82
00:03:04,229 --> 00:03:02,400
containing a photodynamic therapy drug

83
00:03:06,470 --> 00:03:04,239
this is a drug that is activated after

84
00:03:07,910 --> 00:03:06,480
it's been absorbed by tumor cells on the

85
00:03:09,430 --> 00:03:07,920
right is an example with the

86
00:03:11,270 --> 00:03:09,440
fluorescence showing that those

87
00:03:13,750 --> 00:03:11,280
microcapsules are

88
00:03:16,869 --> 00:03:13,760
full of the and evenly distributed of

89
00:03:18,790 --> 00:03:16,879
the anti-cancer drug contained inside

90
00:03:20,390 --> 00:03:18,800
now it's one thing to be able to make

91
00:03:22,309 --> 00:03:20,400
that in space

92
00:03:24,470 --> 00:03:22,319
i guess the next step is how do you make

93
00:03:27,430 --> 00:03:24,480
it on earth and make enough of it so

94
00:03:29,270 --> 00:03:27,440
that it's it's it can be useful yes

95
00:03:31,190 --> 00:03:29,280
and the trick was is we had to learn how

96
00:03:32,470 --> 00:03:31,200
to control the conditions to bring these

97
00:03:34,149 --> 00:03:32,480
different liquids

98
00:03:35,830 --> 00:03:34,159
faces into

99
00:03:37,190 --> 00:03:35,840
interaction where the spontaneous would

100
00:03:39,350 --> 00:03:37,200
form the capsule

101
00:03:42,630 --> 00:03:39,360
and the microgravity experiments with a

102
00:03:44,869 --> 00:03:42,640
very variety of different conditions and

103
00:03:47,589 --> 00:03:44,879
real-time video of the capsules being

104
00:03:49,350 --> 00:03:47,599
formed in the meps device gave us the

105
00:03:51,030 --> 00:03:49,360
information to be able to develop a

106
00:03:53,110 --> 00:03:51,040
system called the pulse flow

107
00:03:54,869 --> 00:03:53,120
microcapsule system that we use on the

108
00:03:56,550 --> 00:03:54,879
ground now today and we no longer have

109
00:03:57,830 --> 00:03:56,560
to go to space in order to be able to

110
00:04:00,149 --> 00:03:57,840
make the capsules

111
00:04:02,630 --> 00:04:00,159
with the right proportions of content

112
00:04:03,830 --> 00:04:02,640
and in large quantities enough so that

113
00:04:06,470 --> 00:04:03,840
they would

114
00:04:08,869 --> 00:04:06,480
you can do uh experiments to and find

115
00:04:11,270 --> 00:04:08,879
out just how they work that's true and

116
00:04:12,710 --> 00:04:11,280
that led us to the capabilities to be

117
00:04:15,350 --> 00:04:12,720
able to explore several different

118
00:04:17,030 --> 00:04:15,360
applications for commercial use

119
00:04:18,629 --> 00:04:17,040
and we did studies with the

120
00:04:20,629 --> 00:04:18,639
microcapsules that were made and now

121
00:04:22,790 --> 00:04:20,639
made on the ground to be able to treat

122
00:04:24,070 --> 00:04:22,800
human prostate and human

123
00:04:26,390 --> 00:04:24,080
lung tumors

124
00:04:29,189 --> 00:04:26,400
in animals to define the dose the

125
00:04:30,710 --> 00:04:29,199
quantity and the sequence of how often

126
00:04:32,950 --> 00:04:30,720
you need to give these capsules because

127
00:04:34,870 --> 00:04:32,960
they actually act as a sustained release

128
00:04:37,830 --> 00:04:34,880
form releasing the drug over a period of

129
00:04:40,390 --> 00:04:37,840
10 to 12 days you brought us a little

130
00:04:41,990 --> 00:04:40,400
clip of animation that demonstrates

131
00:04:43,350 --> 00:04:42,000
shows us what this looks like when you

132
00:04:45,590 --> 00:04:43,360
when you uh

133
00:04:48,070 --> 00:04:45,600
give the drug uh yes that's that's

134
00:04:49,670 --> 00:04:48,080
correct uh let me suggest that there is

135
00:04:52,070 --> 00:04:49,680
two steps to this uh without the

136
00:04:54,550 --> 00:04:52,080
animation this is the uh

137
00:04:57,430 --> 00:04:54,560
imitation of a growing tumor with the

138
00:04:59,510 --> 00:04:57,440
small deposits those as 1 20th of one

139
00:05:02,150 --> 00:04:59,520
drop of microcapsules being deposited in

140
00:05:05,029 --> 00:05:02,160
the tumor and when it's exposed to

141
00:05:07,270 --> 00:05:05,039
near-infrared radiation light

142
00:05:08,710 --> 00:05:07,280
then the the drug is activated which

143
00:05:10,710 --> 00:05:08,720
kills the tumor

144
00:05:13,029 --> 00:05:10,720
and that particular

145
00:05:15,749 --> 00:05:13,039
technology is such those drugs are

146
00:05:17,909 --> 00:05:15,759
absorbed only by the tumor cells not by

147
00:05:18,710 --> 00:05:17,919
the human but the normal cells

148
00:05:20,629 --> 00:05:18,720
and

149
00:05:22,790 --> 00:05:20,639
the drug is totally inactive until the

150
00:05:24,629 --> 00:05:22,800
near infrared light reaches them

151
00:05:26,950 --> 00:05:24,639
now we got into that because we were

152
00:05:29,430 --> 00:05:26,960
studying the use of near-infrared light

153
00:05:31,029 --> 00:05:29,440
to stimulate uh bone cell and stimulate

154
00:05:32,629 --> 00:05:31,039
wound healing for astronaut use in

155
00:05:34,629 --> 00:05:32,639
during the station

156
00:05:36,150 --> 00:05:34,639
and that kind of a dice was developed

157
00:05:38,230 --> 00:05:36,160
here i have an example this was

158
00:05:40,469 --> 00:05:38,240
developed for nasa under a small

159
00:05:42,790 --> 00:05:40,479
business innovative research grant years

160
00:05:45,029 --> 00:05:42,800
ago and this light is set up with a

161
00:05:47,350 --> 00:05:45,039
near-infrared light same wavelength as a

162
00:05:50,150 --> 00:05:47,360
laser pointer but it penetrates deep

163
00:05:51,909 --> 00:05:50,160
into tissue as you can see

164
00:05:54,230 --> 00:05:51,919
this will actually penetrate in adequate

165
00:05:55,189 --> 00:05:54,240
quantities to be able to

166
00:05:57,430 --> 00:05:55,199
go

167
00:05:58,950 --> 00:05:57,440
five to seven inches deep in the tissue

168
00:06:01,189 --> 00:05:58,960
so it's suitable to be able to use it

169
00:06:02,950 --> 00:06:01,199
for a handheld device like this or be

170
00:06:04,469 --> 00:06:02,960
able to use it for fiber optics to

171
00:06:06,469 --> 00:06:04,479
deliver the light

172
00:06:07,990 --> 00:06:06,479
near the tumor and irradiate the our

173
00:06:09,670 --> 00:06:08,000
microcapsules that have been deposited

174
00:06:11,590 --> 00:06:09,680
there you've gone from an experiment in

175
00:06:15,029 --> 00:06:11,600
space to learning how to make the same

176
00:06:16,710 --> 00:06:15,039
product on earth in in 1g

177
00:06:18,870 --> 00:06:16,720
i understand that last week you were

178
00:06:21,270 --> 00:06:18,880
also in washington dc trying to get

179
00:06:23,670 --> 00:06:21,280
approval from the government agencies

180
00:06:26,390 --> 00:06:23,680
for the next step to try to to test

181
00:06:29,189 --> 00:06:26,400
these products in human beings that's

182
00:06:31,189 --> 00:06:29,199
correct yes and um we were with the food

183
00:06:33,110 --> 00:06:31,199
and drug administration last week and

184
00:06:34,550 --> 00:06:33,120
our initial step was to

185
00:06:37,029 --> 00:06:34,560
be proposed

186
00:06:38,390 --> 00:06:37,039
to the fda a plan to do the testing

187
00:06:41,110 --> 00:06:38,400
required

188
00:06:42,710 --> 00:06:41,120
to be able to use these microcapsules as

189
00:06:45,990 --> 00:06:42,720
a marker

190
00:06:48,550 --> 00:06:46,000
in breast biopsy sites when some breast

191
00:06:51,589 --> 00:06:48,560
tissue has been removed make a small

192
00:06:53,589 --> 00:06:51,599
deposit of a tiny quantity of our micro

193
00:06:55,670 --> 00:06:53,599
capsules when you do that we have a

194
00:06:57,830 --> 00:06:55,680
picture that sort of illustrates it um

195
00:07:00,150 --> 00:06:57,840
in a tumor tissue oh i think that's the

196
00:07:01,830 --> 00:07:00,160
next slide there that one uh yes

197
00:07:03,430 --> 00:07:01,840
in the upper left corner i don't have a

198
00:07:05,350 --> 00:07:03,440
pointer up on the corner

199
00:07:07,510 --> 00:07:05,360
um there is a

200
00:07:09,350 --> 00:07:07,520
oblong tumor there and there is a center

201
00:07:11,350 --> 00:07:09,360
in the that shows that there's

202
00:07:13,270 --> 00:07:11,360
microcapsules being deposited that was

203
00:07:15,589 --> 00:07:13,280
one twentieth of one drop and that was

204
00:07:17,110 --> 00:07:15,599
done in real time you could see when the

205
00:07:19,749 --> 00:07:17,120
microcapsules actually come out of the

206
00:07:21,430 --> 00:07:19,759
fine gauge needle wow so you can exactly

207
00:07:23,589 --> 00:07:21,440
position that

208
00:07:24,950 --> 00:07:23,599
the use there is to have it as a

209
00:07:27,909 --> 00:07:24,960
reference marker

210
00:07:29,270 --> 00:07:27,919
for future tumor biopsies in case that

211
00:07:31,189 --> 00:07:29,280
they're needed you can see with

212
00:07:33,670 --> 00:07:31,199
ultrasound imaging you can see where you

213
00:07:34,710 --> 00:07:33,680
took the first biopsy and carefully

214
00:07:37,189 --> 00:07:34,720
position where you're going to take the

215
00:07:39,270 --> 00:07:37,199
next biopsy or as an aide to the surgeon

216
00:07:40,790 --> 00:07:39,280
just before he goes ahead and excises

217
00:07:42,150 --> 00:07:40,800
and removes that tumor

218
00:07:43,670 --> 00:07:42,160
and that's the first step that we've

219
00:07:45,589 --> 00:07:43,680
approached the food drug administration

220
00:07:47,909 --> 00:07:45,599
about being able to use this in in

221
00:07:50,150 --> 00:07:47,919
patients to treat as a diagnostic tool

222
00:07:51,909 --> 00:07:50,160
for human breast cancer

223
00:07:53,830 --> 00:07:51,919
the next step of course is that the only

224
00:07:55,830 --> 00:07:53,840
difference between these marker

225
00:07:57,990 --> 00:07:55,840
microcapsules and a drug delivery one is

226
00:07:59,990 --> 00:07:58,000
we put the drug inside in the water

227
00:08:01,510 --> 00:08:00,000
content so the next step is we're doing

228
00:08:04,309 --> 00:08:01,520
this we'll be developing the same kind

229
00:08:06,629 --> 00:08:04,319
of test to show that the capsules are

230
00:08:08,469 --> 00:08:06,639
compatible with the body they're safe

231
00:08:10,629 --> 00:08:08,479
and they're effective for both imaging

232
00:08:12,550 --> 00:08:10,639
but also effective as a delivery device

233
00:08:14,070 --> 00:08:12,560
to be able to treat the tumors and our

234
00:08:15,110 --> 00:08:14,080
previous animal studies have shown that

235
00:08:16,790 --> 00:08:15,120
that's

236
00:08:19,189 --> 00:08:16,800
quite efficient

237
00:08:21,029 --> 00:08:19,199
in treating human

238
00:08:22,710 --> 00:08:21,039
lung and prostate tumors and now this

239
00:08:25,270 --> 00:08:22,720
application will be for treating human

240
00:08:27,189 --> 00:08:25,280
breast tumors be very very exciting to

241
00:08:29,510 --> 00:08:27,199
see how that progresses thank you for uh

242
00:08:31,589 --> 00:08:29,520
for for getting us up to date on this uh

243
00:08:33,670 --> 00:08:31,599
old station experiment ah thank you fat

244
00:08:35,350 --> 00:08:33,680
it's really exciting dr dennis morrison