Remotely-activated nanoparticles created for cancer drug delivery

Researchers have created a new type of remotely-activated nanoparticle that can be used to deliver cancer therapies with a reduced risk of side effects.

A team from Rice University and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have produced laser and light-activated gold nanoshells that can be triggered to release approved cancer drugs directly inside tumour cells.

For this research, the nanoparticles were used to deliver toxic doses of two drugs – lapatinib and docetaxel – inside breast cancer cells. It was shown that they were able to do so without releasing their payload until a near-infrared laser was used to remotely trigger the release of the drug.

This is an important development, as drugs are often pushed out of tumours rather than drawn in, meaning patients have to take a large amount to get an effective dose into the tumour. This, in turn, results in nausea and other severe side effects.

The research team are also hopeful that this approach can be effective in treating a wide range of aggressive forms of cancer.

Study co-author Susan Clare, a research associate professor of surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said: "As clinicians, we're always looking for ways to keep cancer from coming back months or years later, and I am hopeful this can do that."

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