Researchers develop method to kill cancer cells using nanoparticles and lasers -
cancer treatments based on the laser irridation tiny nanoparticles that are injected directly into the tumor cancer work and can destroy breast cancer. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute and the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Copenhagen have developed a method that kills cancer cells using nanoparticles and lasers. The treatment has been tested on mice and it has been shown that cancerous tumors are considerably damaged. The results are published in the scientific journal, Scientific Reports .
Traditional cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy have side affects large, because they not only affect cancer tumors but also healthy parts of the body. A large interdisciplinary research project between physicists Niels Bohr Institute and doctors and biologists and Rigshospitalet Panum Institute has developed a new treatment that only affects cancerous tumors locally and is much gentler on the body. The project is called Laser Activated Nanoparticles for Tumor removal (LANTERN). The project leader is Professor Lene Oddershede, a biophysicist and leader of the optical research group at the Niels Bohr Tweezers Institute of the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with professor Andreas Kjær, head of Cluster for molecular imaging, Panum Institute.
After experimenting with biological membranes, researchers have now tested the method on live mice. In the experiments, the mice receive cancerous tumors of human cancer cells in laboratory culture.
"The treatment involves injecting tiny nanoparticles directly into the tumor. Then, the outside of nanoparticles is heated using lasers. It is highly interaction between the nanoparticles and the laser light, which causes the particles to be heated. What happens then is that the heated particles damage or kill cancer cells, "says Lene Oddershede.
Design and effect
The small nanoparticles are between 80 and 150 nanometers in diameter (a nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter). The tested particles are formed either of solid gold or a shell structure consisting of a glass core with a thin gold shell all around. Some experiments to find out which particles are more effective in reducing tumors.
"As physicists we have a great expertise in the interaction between light and nanoparticles, and we can measure very accurately the temperature of heated nanoparticles. Efficacy depends on the right combination of structure and particle material, physical size and light wavelength, "says Lene Oddershede.
experiments have shown that the researchers achieved the best results with nanoparticles were 150 nanometers and consist a gold-coated glass core. nanoparticles have been illuminated with laser light in the near infrared, which is the best penetration through the fabric. Unlike conventional radiation, near infrared laser light of not cause any burn damage of tissue that passes through it. Just one hour after treatment, they could already see directly with the PET cancer cells were killed and the effect continued for at least two days after treatment.
"Now we have proven that the work of the method. Longer term, we would like the method works by injecting nanoparticles into the bloodstream, where they are found in the tumors that may have metastasized . with PET scans we can see where the tumors are and irridate with lasers, while effectively evaluating how the treatment worked shortly after irradiation. Moreover, we will coat the particles with chemotherapy, which is released by heat and that will also help to kill cancer cells, "says Lene Oddershede.
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