EGFR-targeted micelles containing near-infrared dye for enhanced photothermal therapy in colorectal cancer.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted micelles loaded with IR-780 (Cetuximab/IR-780/micelles) for generating tumor targeting, multimodal images, and photothermal therapy (PTT). We initially studied the cellular uptake of these micelles using the HCT-116 and SW-620 cell lines. HCT-116 (high expression of EGFR) and SW-620 (low expression of EGFR) cell lines were used to examine biodistribution and antitumor effects of Cetuximab/IR-780/micelles. Time-lapse near-IR fluorescence (NIRF) images also indicated the highest IR-780 accumulation from Cetuximab/IR-780/micelles in HCT-116 tumors (p<0.05). HCT-116 tumors in tumor-bearing mice exhibited significantly higher accumulations of Cetuximab/IR-780/