Final Defense – Anunay Pulukuri
About the event
Group: Dr. Cliff Berkman
Title: Advances in Targeted Drug Delivery for Cancer: Overcoming Resistance and Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy
Abstract: Cancer therapy remains limited by poor tumor selectivity, systemic toxicity, and the development of drug resistance. This presentation will highlight strategies designed to address these challenges through the development of targeted drug delivery platforms that align chemical design with tumor biology. The first part focuses on small-molecule prodrugs that exploit tumor-associated enzymes and drug transporters to activate therapy directly within cancer tissue. This research demonstrates that biological pathways commonly linked to drug resistance can instead be used to improve drug selectivity and strengthen immune activation in the tumor environment. The second part explores dendrimer-based conjugates that enhance drug solubility, stability, and intracellular release. These highly structured macromolecules were applied to aggressive breast and prostate cancer models, where they improved tumor uptake, promoted apoptosis, and enhanced overall therapeutic response, highlighting their translational potential. The findings illustrate how rational chemical design can advance both delivery efficiency and therapeutic precision. Together, this work establishes complementary approaches for overcoming the key limitations of conventional chemotherapy and provides a framework for developing next-generation targeted cancer therapeutics with long-term clinical relevance.