(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Fighting cancer could someday involve “cooking”
cancer cells.
Biomedical scientists at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center
and nanotechnology experts from UT Dallas are testing a new way to kill cancer
cells. The procedure attaches cancer-seeking antibodies to tiny carbon tubes
that heat up when they’re exposed to near-infrared light.
The researchers used monoclonal antibodies – biological molecules that bind to
cancer cells – to target specific sites on lymphoma cells to coat tiny
structures called carbon nanotubes. These are very small cylinders of graphite
carbon that heat up when exposed to near-infrared light. The light is invisible
to the human eye, and is used in TV remote controls to switch channels and is
detected by night-vision goggles.
In cultures of cancerous lymphoma cells, the study shows the antibody-coated
nanotubes attached to the cells’ surfaces. When the targeted cells were exposed
to near-infrared light, the nanotubes heated up, generating enough heat to
basically “cook” the cells and kill them.
“Demonstrating this specific killing was the objective of this study,” senior
author, Dr. Ellen Vitetta, UT Southwestern, was quoted as saying. “We have
worked with targeted therapies for many years, and even when this degree of
specificity can be demonstrated in a laboratory dish, there are many hurdles to
translating these new therapies into clinical studies. We’re just beginning to
test this in mice, and although there is no guarantee it will work, we are
optimistic.”
Biomedical applications of nanoparticles are getting more attention from
scientists. However, there are still challenges to successfully developing
nanomedical reagents, including the potential that a new nanomaterial may damage
healthy cells and organisms. More research is needed to determine whether the
reagents are inherently toxic.
SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008
