Awesome anti-cancer nanotechnology - not far off now!

Hi ATS,

Ah, after the blissful mania of the SkunkWorks, here I am back in the land of the super-weird but Real. And this little article is well worth coming back down to Earth for... This research highlights a targeting system of nanoparticles which are based on 'dendritic polyglycerols'. They have engineered a targeting solution, able to guide the particles in vivo (animal testing) maneuvering them using sophisticated techniques & reaching the target site as planned. This technique they are now confident of, and so all that remains is that they need to attach the therapeutic solution which will fight the cancerous tumour cells, sparing the non-cancer cells around the tumour. There is the potential to attach pieces of antibodies, which will form an offensive wave against the tumour in ways which aren't fully explained in the article, though you can definitely see where it's heading.

All in all, well done team, you're doing a great job. Godspeed!

Modern anticancer therapies aim to attack tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and FU Berlin has made important progress in this area: the scientists have produced tiny nanoparticles that are designed to specifically target cancer cells. They can navigate directly to the tumor cells and visualize those using advanced imaging techniques. Both in petri dishes and animal models, the scientists were able to effectively guide the nanoparticles to the cancer cells. The next step is to combine the new technique with therapeutic approaches.

The HZDR researchers start out with tiny, biocompatible nanoparticles made of so-called dendritic polyglycerols that serve as carrier molecules. "We can modify these particles and introduce various functions," explains Dr. Kristof Zarschler, research associate at HZDR's Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research. "For example, we can attach an antibody fragment to the particle that specifically binds to cancer cells. This antibody fragment is our targeting moiety that directs the nanoparticle to the tumor."

The target of the modified nanoparticles is an antigen known as EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor). In certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer or head and neck tumors, this protein is overexpressed on the surface of the cells. "We were able to show that our designed nanoparticles preferentially interact with the cancer cells via these receptors," confirms Dr. Holger Stephan, leader of the Nanoscalic Systems Group at HZDR. "In control tests with similar nanoparticles that had been modified with an unspecific antibody, significantly fewer nanoparticles accumulated at the tumor cells."

SOURCE

Go science!

Cheers,


FITO.

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

Very cool stuff but I couldn't find when this will come out. Prolly like all the amazing stuff 2030. That is when stuff starts to get really amazing.

originally posted by: watchandwait410
a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

Very cool stuff but I couldn't find when this will come out. Prolly like all the amazing stuff 2030. That is when stuff starts to get really amazing.

Or...like other scientific breakthroughs, it will disappear after this article never to be heard of again. There's no money in curing people of cancer unless it takes months or years and thousands and thousands of dollars. It's not scientists fault though, it's the medical industry. It's all about the money, not the cure.

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment
Will it be able to detect cancer before it reaches stage 4 like with Rush? My wife died within a week after diagnosed with cancer. No early detection even though she saw a doctor every 90 days with blood drawn every time.