Traceable nanoparticles may be the next weapon in cancer treatment

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBIIGQ5sAaICNUj0bHvtOYF74lfvp-Xbx-2QPKIo10OYK0jccvaVcFfObb1gj96tyXsAy1LWVp_lSBUar_s9O3_TLz27wtLIE91EXn67aaeyWykJdtXv0i-0LrWRjWRf6IAoRVYujyPc/s1600/nanoparticles+to+cure+cancer+cancer+and+cures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBIIGQ5sAaICNUj0bHvtOYF74lfvp-Xbx-2QPKIo10OYK0jccvaVcFfObb1gj96tyXsAy1LWVp_lSBUar_s9O3_TLz27wtLIE91EXn67aaeyWykJdtXv0i-0LrWRjWRf6IAoRVYujyPc/s200/nanoparticles+to+cure+cancer+cancer+and+cures.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> Small particles loaded with medicine could be a future weapon for cancer treatment.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">A recently published study shows how nanoparticles can be formed to efficiently carry cancer drugs to tumor cells. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">And because the particles can be seen in Mri images, they are traceable.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">Both therapeutic and diagnostic in function, the so-called "theranostic" particles were developed by a team including Kth Professor Eva Malmström-Jonsson, from the school of Chemical Science, as well as researchers at sweden's Chalmer's University and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">Malmström-Jonsson says that the particles, which the team developed for breast cancer treatment, are biodegradable and non-toxic. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">Their research was published in the science journal Particle & Particle Systems Characterization.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">The study resulted in a method to make nanoparticles spontaneously build themselves up with tailored macromolecules. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">The formation requires a balance between the particle's hydrophilic (capable of dissolving in water) and hydrophobic (not dissolvable in water) parts. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">The hydrophobic portion makes it possible to fill the particle with the drug.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">A relatively high concentration of the natural isotope 19F (fluorine) makes the particles clearly visible on high-resolution images taken by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">By following the path of theranostic nanoparticles in the body, it is possible to obtain information about how the drug is taken up by the tumor and whether the treatment is working.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">Scientists filled nanoparticles with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (known as chemo), which is used today to treat bladder, lung, ovarian and breast cancer, In experiments on cultured cells, they showed that the particles themselves are not harmful but can effectively kill cancer cells after being loaded with the drug.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">The next step is to develop the system to target tumors that are difficult to treat with chemotherapy, such as brain tumors, pancreatic cancer, and drug-resistant breast cancer tumors.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">"By targeting groups on the surface, or by changing the size or introducing ionic groups on our nanoparticles, one can increase the selective uptake in these tumors," says Andreas Nystrom, an associate professor of nanomedicine at the Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center and Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">In the long term, research can result in tailored chemotherapy treatments that seek out tumor cells. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">This would enable the toxic drug to be delivered more specifically to the tumor, making the treatment more effective while reducing side effects.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">"What we want to do is try to give nanoparticles a homing function on the surface so that the drug is as effective as possible and can be transported to the right place," Malmström-Jonsson says.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">The study is funded in part by two grants from the Swedish Research Council to Andreas Nystrom and Eva Malmström-Jonsson. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="es">Malmström-Jonsson and Nystrom are also active in the company Polymer Factory Sweden AB.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

Traceable nanoparticles may be the next weapon in cancer treatment

Small particles loaded with medicine could be a future weapon for cancer treatment. A recently published study shows how nanoparticl...

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