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Nanotechnology Halts Spread of Cancer in Mice
Scientists have shown that using drug-infused nanoparticles in mice can stop the spread of cancer throughout the body.
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The particles used were loaded with doxorubicin, an effective but highly toxic anticancer drug, according to Wired.
Although the nanoparticles did not affect the original tumors in mice with kidney and pancreas cancers, they did stop the cancers from spreading through the bodies of the mice—the process known as metastasis.
The finding could be excellent news for cancer patients.
“Patients often don’t die from primary tumors, which you can recognize and detect and develop a therapy,” said pathologist David Cheresh of the University of California, San Diego, who led the study. “They die from metastatic disease. ... Those patients could theoretically be treated with this type of therapy.”
Nanotechnology is the use of atomic, molecular or microscopic technology smaller than 100 nanometers. Its use in cancer research has been increasing in recent years. The National Cancer Institute launched the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, dedicated entirely to nanotechnology’s use in fighting cancer, in 2004.
In addition to treating cancer, nanoparticles can also be used for the early detection of cancer, Cheresh said. “Those trials have begun or are in the process of being finalized,” he said. “The day isn’t too far off.”
Although the nanoparticles did not affect the original tumors in mice with kidney and pancreas cancers, they did stop the cancers from spreading through the bodies of the mice—the process known as metastasis.
The finding could be excellent news for cancer patients.
“Patients often don’t die from primary tumors, which you can recognize and detect and develop a therapy,” said pathologist David Cheresh of the University of California, San Diego, who led the study. “They die from metastatic disease. ... Those patients could theoretically be treated with this type of therapy.”
Nanotechnology is the use of atomic, molecular or microscopic technology smaller than 100 nanometers. Its use in cancer research has been increasing in recent years. The National Cancer Institute launched the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, dedicated entirely to nanotechnology’s use in fighting cancer, in 2004.
In addition to treating cancer, nanoparticles can also be used for the early detection of cancer, Cheresh said. “Those trials have begun or are in the process of being finalized,” he said. “The day isn’t too far off.”
Headline Links: Nanotechnology targets cancer metastasis
Metastasis is “a word synonymous, for anyone who has experience with cancer, with doom,” reports Wired. Pathologist David Cheresh says, referring to the study, that newly forming tumors depend on a fresh supply of blood, but with doxorubicin rendering them unable to form blood vessels, the tumors didn’t grow.
Source: Wired
Cheresh’s study is available in the current edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The abstract is online and the full article is available to subscribers and to those who pay a fee.
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Background: Early research in nanotechnology and cancer
A landmark study in 2005 from researchers at Stanford University found that nanotechnology could be an important tool in the fight against cancer. Researchers found that they were able to kill cancer cells with nanotubes without harming healthy tissue. The nanotubes, inserted into the cancer cells, were heated by a near-infra red light, “killing the cell, while cells without rods are left unscathed.”
Source: BBC
Reference: The National Cancer Institute; nanotechnology; cancer
The National Cancer Institute Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer “is engaged in efforts to harness the power of nanotechnology to radically change the way we diagnose, treat and prevent cancer,” according to a mission statement on its Web site.
Source: Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer
FindingDulcinea’s Web Guide to nanotechnology explores what nanotechnology is, how researchers are hoping to use it, including in medicine, and what the critics are saying about the consequences of using this potentially world-changing technology.
Source: findingDulcinea
FindingDulcinea’s Cancer Web Guide provides online resources about different types of cancer, how it is treated and where to find support.
Source: findingDulcinea
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