Training tiny tumor killers
The Research: Worm-like structures that are hundreds of times smaller than a grain of rice are being developed as nano-tools to destroy tumors. Scientists from the University of California San Diego, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Santa Barbara put together a string of round magnetic nanoparticles, which can bind to tumors and eventually deliver drugs that may destroy them.
Advantages: Coated with a polymeric ‘slime’ that allows them to avoiding the immune reaction, the nanoworms can circulate in the body of a mouse for hours without being rejected as it happens with other nanoparticles. The longer they stay in the body, the higher the chance they can find a tumor. Also, their elongated shape improves their ability to attach to tumors when compared with conventional spherical iron oxide nanoparticles. Because nanoworms show up very brightly in diagnostic devices such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, these structures should be able to spot small tumors that are not detected with existing technologies. Hopefully, this will lead to the diagnosis of cancer at earlier stages of development.
Next steps: Scientists still need to figure out how nanoworms behave in other animal models before testing them in humans. They hope to begin human testing in no more than two years.
“Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoworms for Tumor Targeting and Imaging.” Adv. Mater. 2008, 20, (9), 1630-1635.
