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Posted on Sep 22, 2002, 12 p.m.
By Bill Freeman
Two teams of National Cancer Institute funded researchers are currently developing tiny particles called nanoparticles that hunt down and destroy cancer cells that are too small to locate and remove surgically. Nanoparticles developed by researchers from the University of Michigan have cancer antibodies attached to them that can detect and latch onto brain cancer cells as small as 50 microns in diameter.
Two teams of National Cancer Institute funded researchers are currently developing tiny particles called nanoparticles that hunt down and destroy cancer cells that are too small to locate and remove surgically. Nanoparticles developed by researchers from the University of Michigan have cancer antibodies attached to them that can detect and latch onto brain cancer cells as small as 50 microns in diameter. Doctors then pinpoint the location of the particles using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and destroy the cells with a laser, thus limiting the damage to surrounding tissues and reducing the risks associated with conventional brain surgery. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Washington are working on nanoparticles that are attracted to a protein secreted by newly forming capillaries that deliver blood to tumors. Once the particles are attracted to the protein they attach to the vessel wall and deliver a dose of chemotherapy into the capillary membrane - therefore ensuring that the drugs do not destroy healthy tissues.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.smalltimes.com on the 28th September 2001
