| abstract |
The present invention relates generally to a sensor for tumor tissue and a local release system for releasing therapeutic agents/diagnostic agents for targeted tumor therapy and diagnosis. More specifically, the invention relates to a cation-stabilised biopolymer gel, in particular an alginate gel, for use as a carrier matrix for a tumor therapeutic agent and/or tumor diagnostic agent, characterised in that the gel destabilises in the presence of a stimulus, in particular lysyl oxidase (LOX), generated by tumor cells or tumor tissue and the tumor therapeutic agent and/or tumor diagnostic agent can be released, and a pharmaceutical composition that comprises this cation-stabilised biopolymer gel with incorporated tumor therapeutic agent and/or tumor diagnostic agent and optionally an additional reporter substance. An associated aspect of the invention relates to an in vitro method for determining the presence and/or amount of a tumor-specific product in the body of a patient, characterised in that a physiological sample from a patient to whom a pharmaceutical composition according to the invention has been administered is examined to ascertain the presence and/or amount of a reporter substance that has been released after destabilisation of the gel as a result of contact with the tumor-specific product to be determined, and optionally compared with reference values. |