Researchers have discovered a method to target cancer cells by injecting tiny particles that only attack diseased cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
 |
Aptamer (Image: zib.de) |
A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA, has combined these tiny particles with a specific amount of medication, which, when injected, only targets cancer cells.
The scientists first conducted experiments on cells cultured in the laboratory and later on mice bearing human prostate tumors. In the mice, the tumors rapidly dissolved, and all the mice survived the experiment, while the control group perished.
In this study, the researchers created sponge-like tiny particles combined with the drug docetaxel. These drug particles are designed to dissolve in the cell’s internal fluid, releasing chemotherapy at a rate that is either fast or slow depending on the needs of the cell.
To ensure that tumor cells are targeted, the tiny particles are “dressed up” on the outside with molecules known as aptamers, or tiny genetic factors capable of recognizing surface molecules of cancer cells while avoiding healthy ones. These particles are small enough for cancer cells to easily engulf them upon contact with their surface.
K.NHAT
