NanomedicineCenter.com

Lasers can destroy cancer cells

Researchers from Rice University, led by Professor Yildiz Bayazitoglu, have performed a research which showed that by combining two lasers and pointing them to nanoparticles in order to heat them up, it is possible to destroy the “bad” tissue, with minimum damage to healthy cells.

Of course, lasers and nanoparticles are already used in nanomedicine for treating cancer — the technique is based on using nanoshells and heating them up by near-infrared laser.

The outcome of this research depends on the properties of nanoparticles — their light-scatter in particular. “We’re afraid that the nanoparticles located near the surface of a tumor will block a laser from reaching those at the center.”

The details are published in International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.

Adopted from materials provided by UPI.com

A new way of treating cancer on the way?

A team of scientists from the University of Toronto have found that, by modifying a protein that improves the process of preventing cancer growth, a new way of treating cancer is on the way. The protein they have been researching is called von Hippel-Lindau (VHL).

Tumors are known to have very low blood supply when they grow. Therefore, some parts — including the center of the tumor — have low levels of oxygen and are said to be hypoxic. Cells in these parts produce hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) that makes it possible for them to keep on growing. Now, under normal conditions VHL degrades HIF — but VHL is deactivated when oxygen levels are low. So, in hypoxic regions of a tumour, just where VHL is needed to inhibit cancer, it is ineffective. That’s why scientists created a new type of VHL — a type that doesn’t stop working if oxygen levels are low.

“We have genetically removed the Achilles’ heel of VHL to permit unrestricted destruction of HIF,” said Michael Ohh, one of the researchers. “The level of HIF is usually very high under conditions of low oxygen but when we put in our bioengineered VHL its levels go right down to a level that would be comparable to that in normal oxygen levels.”

The details are published in EMBO Molecular Medicine.

Adopted from materials provided by the University of Toronto

Is there an alternative to radiation

You may have heard that nanotechnology is already being applied in many industry branches, but probably the most promising subfield of nanotechnology is nanomedicine. Researchers from the University of Alberta, led by Jie Chen, are working on developing a new technique which would allow them to replace chemotherapy and radiation, thus “killing” all the side effects caused by these methods.

The researching crew is doing experiments with injected nanoparticles that contain a bamboo compound that is sensitive to ultrasound. “So when the ultrasound is used and treated or targeted towards these compounds, then you will activate and generate something which can destroy the cancer, so it’s much safer compared to the conventional radiation,” said Chen.

As always when new technologies arise, security concerns come in the way. “It has been shown in animal experiments for example that very small particles can overcome the intestinal barrier and can go into the bloodstream and can go into the organs,” said Herman Stamm, a member of European Commission’s Joint Research Center. What they worry about is that the injected nanoparticles don’t really destroy themselves. They can actually stay in your body and go somewhere where they are not intended to go. Of course, that can cause problems.

Adopted from materials provided by cbc.ca

Nanoprobes detect and destroy cancer

A scientist from Purdue University has developed a nanoprobe, with many antibodies attached to it (herceptin). It is supposed to be able to locate tumors and might one day be able to directly attack cancer cells.

Joseph Irudayaraj, the scientist, said: “If we have a tumor, these nanoprobes should have the ability to latch on to it. The probe could carry drugs to target, treat as well as reveal cancer cells.”

Nanoscale probes that were created before were based on gold nanorods or magnetic nanoparticles. However, Irudayaraj’s probes use both, and that strengthens their properties.
The probes would be injected into the body through a saline buffering fluid, and the Herceptin would find and attach to protein markers on the surface of cancer cells.

“When the cancer cell expresses a protein marker that is complementary to Herceptin, then it binds to that marker,” said Irudayaraj. “We are advancing the technology to add other drugs that can be delivered by the probes.”

This is an another proof that nanomedicine is growing every day, and it’s on the way to become huge in the near future.

The details are published in Angewandte Chemie.

Adopted from materials provided by purdue.edu