Revolutionary 'Microscopic Aircraft Carrier' Delivers Targeted Cancer Treatment
Scientists have developed a new way to deliver drugs that fight cancer within the body. The new technique works like a "microscopic aircraft carrier" that finds cancerous cells and attacks them.
According to SCMP, the therapy may be able to stop tumour growth, promote the body's immune response, and even prevent the spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body. Current methods of cancer treatment are unable to fully eradicate cancer cells and often end up harming healthy tissue.
The biggest challenge for cancer treatments is how the disease spreads through the patient's blood. Researchers from China claim to have developed a solution that prevents the growth of the primary tumour while also preventing its spread to other parts of the body, the study published in the journal Small said.
How does the treatment work?
Researchers from the Shanghai Engineering Research Centre of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine at Donghua University have been attempting to use nano-biotechnology to diagnose and treat cancer for over a decade.
The "aircraft carrier" that delivers medicines to the site of cancer is based on a polymer that resembles the branches of a tree. It may also be controlled owing to its size and shape. This polymer was used as a "deck" on which medicines were mounted like "weapons."
The polymer's surface was modified to target the LyP-1 peptide that is able to bind to protein in various tumour cells, especially in cases of breast cancer. As a result of this strategy, the "aircraft carrier" was able to find target.
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The nanoparticles contained copper sulphide (CuS) and DMXAA, a drug that is able cut through tumour vascular cells. These were fitted in the polymer's cabin as a "weapon." That's not all! Each particle represents a different treatment method. These nanoparticles are able to generate heat when exposed to near-infrared light. At this time, they're able to destroy cancer cells through a process that's called photothermal therapy.
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The DMXAA is able to kill tumour vascular cells, causing the necrosis of the tumour tissue. CuS and DMXAA are able to kill cancer cells in their programmed way - and together they're able to trigger the body's immune system to fight the cancer.
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