Innovative treatment nanobubble detects and destroys cancer cells in mice -
The innovative technology developed by researchers funded by the NIH was able to find and to facilitate the killing cancer cells in mice without harming surrounding healthy tissue. A treatment using this technology in humans could reduce the cancer recurrence rate or metastasis.
The cancer cells that can not be removed by surgeons often cause tumors to metastasize or return. In a study published in Nature Nanotechnology in February, Dmitri Lapotko, Ph.D., and his team at Rice University (now with Masimo Corporation, CA) describe a new way to fight against these residual cancer cells. In this new approach, the tiny gold particles have specific cancer antibodies attached to their surface, which allow particles to be swallowed up in high concentrations and cluster only in cancer cells. These gold clusters, when exposed to a short wide laser pulse, heat and the surrounding liquid evaporation, producing a "nanobubble plasmon." This nanobubble produced a "pop sound" that reveals the cancer cell and causes an explosion that destroyed from within
The researchers examined gold nanoparticles to treat cancer in the past, but the particles were missing specificity. they were unable to differentiate between healthy cells and cancer cells. Lapotko and his team are the fight against this problem by combining the use of gold particles coated with antibodies to the nanobubbles generation created with a short laser pulse.
The gold particles can be injected prior to surgery so they can go to and gather in cancer cells. After a tumor is removed in surgery, laser (near infrared) energy pulse is weak, that can move safely through a centimeter of fabric is applied. The laser pulse does not cause the damage induced in nanobubble remaining cancer cells with gold particles and which are only destroyed. This unique approach may be able to reduce the amount of unintentional damage done to the patient, especially if the tumor is located in a sensitive area like the brain, head and neck, breast or prostate cancer.
"This is a creative and innovative approach that combines an understanding of heat transfer basic biophysics with exquisite specificity and chemistry of targeting antibodies," said Rosemarie Hunziker, director of the tissue engineering program the NIBIB. "This could become a powerful tool in our arsenal to fight against cancer."
When surgeons have injected these gold particles to mice with cancer before surgery, initial results have been impressive. While 80% of operated mice group that did not receive the treatment of gold particles died due to tumors returning within 10 days after surgery, none of the mice that received tumor regrew treatment nanobubble further in the next two months.
researchers hope to begin clinical trials in humans in the coming years.
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