Osteopontin (OPN) is produced by
tumor cells as well as by myeloid cells and is enriched in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of many
cancers. Given the roles of OPN in
tumor progression and immune suppression, we hypothesized that targeting OPN with aptamers that have high affinity and specificity could be a promising therapeutic strategy. Bi-specific aptamers targeting
ligands for cellular internalization were conjugated to siRNAs to suppress OPN were created, and therapeutic leads were selected based on target engagement and in vivo activity. Aptamers as carriers for
siRNA approaches were created including a
cancer targeting
nucleolin aptamer Ncl-OPN
siRNA and a myeloid targeting CpG
oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN)-OPN
siRNA conjugate. These aptamers were selected as therapeutic leads based on 70-90% OPN inhibition in
cancer (GL261, 344SQ, 4T1B2b) and myeloid (DC2.4) cells relative to scramble controls. In established immune competent 344SQ
lung cancer and 4T1B2b
breast cancer models, these aptamers, including in combination, demonstrate therapeutic activity by inhibiting
tumor growth. The Ncl-OPN
siRNA aptamer demonstrated efficacy in an immune competent orthotopic
glioma model administered systemically secondary to the ability of the aptamer to access the
glioma TME. Therapeutic activity was demonstrated using both aptamers in a
breast cancer brain
metastasis model. Targeted inhibition of OPN in
tumor cells and myeloid cells using bifunctional aptamers that are internalized by specific cell types and suppress OPN expression once internalized may have clinical potential in
cancer treatment.