Direct Injection of Gold Nanoparticles Into Tumors Opens Door to New Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is thought to be one of the most deadly cancers. The current treatments for it include chemotherapy, surgery and a few other methods. Unfortunately, none of these have a high success rate. In fact, most of these “treatments” for pancreatic cancer are not very helpful. One of the reasons is that scar tissue forms around the cancer, which insures that the drugs normally used to destroy the cancer are ineffective. They are unable to reach the tumor due to the scar tissue surrounding the cancer.

Fortunately, researchers at Northwestern University have come up with a new potential treatment for pancreatic cancer. It is currently undergoing extensive research and testing at Northwestern University. The researchers have created gold nanoparticles which are to contain an cancer-destroying agent. The process used to deliver these nanoparticles directly to the tumor in the pancreas involves a new delivery method called nanoembolization. This technique drastically increases the concentration of nanoparticles inside the tumor.

Researchers have used this injection technique of “nanoemboliztion” in animal testing. A catheter is used to inject the golden nanoparticles into the body, directly to the tumor. The catheter is placed in an artery that will feed the tumor. This process is to be done without the invasion of surgery. This direct catheter injection offers many advantages that other cancer treatments do not ensure. Dr. Omary, a professor at Northwestern University states that “with this catheter delivery, more drug can go directly where we want it: to the tumor itself.” Therefore the drug will have more of an effect on the tumor (in that a majority of the cancer-destroying agent actually reaches and interacts with the cancer) In other cases where the injection is done through the vein, the agent may not go where it is intended.

I found this article very interesting and optimistic. I think that this new technique of injection, “nanoembolization,” offers an advantage in that it enables nanoparticles to be directed exactly where they need to be. The more nanoparticles filled with cancer killing agents that can be concentrated in the tumor, the higher the chances are of destroying more of the pancreatic cancer. This is the goal that numerous researchers have been working on for a long time. With every new research development made, we move closer to finding a complete treatment for cancer. This more direct injection technique will hopefully be a stepping stone that will lead to more non-invasive techniques of treating cancer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100316101356.htm