Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a new way to improve precision in cancer treatment using gold nanoparticles.
According to a press release on 24 January, the method uses gold nanoparticles of different sizes and shapes to nucleic acids and heating tumour cells during photothermal therapy.
Designed by Assistant Prof Andy TAY and Ms. HUANG Xingyue, the method works on the principle that different tumor cells prefer certain shapes and sizes of nanoparticles, and will become instrumental in the development of personalized, safer and more effective cancer treatments.
A novel use of gold
Gold is commonly used to make jewelry and other precious things, and most people don’t know it finds application in medicine.
However, they can be used as therapeutic agents for cancer therapy when reduced to a tiny fraction of the width of a hair strand.
The tiny pieces are used in photothermal therapy, a method in which the particles at tumor sites convert certain light wavelengths into heat energy. This destroys any surrounding cancer cells, thus bringing healing.
They can also become means of conveying drugs directly to specific locations within a tumour. Asst Prof Tay said:
“But for these gold nanoparticles to work, they first need to get into the targeted sites successfully. Think of it as a delivery person with a special key — if the key doesn’t fit the lock, the package won’t get through.”
Because of this, the gold specks must have specific configurations such as shape, size and surface properties that align with the preferences of target cells, and they tag them with barcodes for easy monitoring of their movements in the body.
Safer cancer treatments
Nanotherapeutics have come a long way, and have contributed to some extent in making treatments more effective.
However, they provide therapy in which the nanoparticles are distributed evenly in the body. According to Asst Prof Tay, this doesn’t work because every organ has different requirements.
The safer and more effective option is to design optimally-shaped nanoparticles for organ-specific targeting in the treatment of cancer and other diseases, and this is what this study reveals.
What do you think?
Join Techgaged on Telegram
Get first-access to daily trending tech stories, AI breakthroughs, and more, before it hits your feed.
