Nanoparticles used to enhance the effectivness of chemothrapy drugs

Research over at Florida International University have found a way to use nanoparticles in combination with a magnetic field to target cancer cells only and leave nearby healthy cells untouched. Their team is using magneto-electric nanoparticles (MEN’s) to help the chemotherapy drug, Taxol, to completely kill a tumor within 24 hours, while leaving the healthy cells alone. The cancer they used to target was ovarian cancer. The plan is that the nanoparticle connect to a antibody that is attracted to a tumor and sending the nanoparticle through the blood stream and find the target. They can determine the cancer cells from the healthy cells by exploiting difference in electrical properties in the different cells. The nanoparticle have their own remote magnetic field and can generate electric signal that govern molecular interactions and change the membrane potential of just the cancer cells and not the health cells. They hope is could be used and applied to other cancers and they want to bring this research to the next step.

I really find it fascinating how we could utilize the use of nanoparticles in a way that increases the efficiently of current drugs in use. I think if we could focus on increasing the efficiency of what we currently have that is a good step in to finding a reliable solution to some symptomatic issues.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/biomedical/devices/nanoparticle-helps-eradicate-an-ovarian-tumor-in-a-day