Alabama scientists are considering using gold nanoparticles to turn near-infrared laser light into a "thermal scalpel" of intense heat to kill tumor cells.
University of Alabama at Birmingham scientists say they have successfully piggybacked as many as 1,000 gold nanoparticles onto an adenovirus capable of zooming in on tumor cells.
"Achieving progress in retargeting adenoviral vectors for cancer gene therapy led us to hypothesize that gold nanoparticles could be coupled with this vector to combine hyperthermia and gene therapy as a therapeutic approach. Now we are investigating the tumor-killing properties of this hybrid," said Dr. David Curiel.
The research -- detailed in the journal Nano Letters -- was funded by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Mass-Producing Tunable Magnetic Nanoparticles
Taking a cue from the semiconductor industry, a team of investigators at Stanford University has developed a method of producing unlimited quantities of highly magnetic nanoparticles suitable for use as magnetic resonance tumor imaging agents.
Research puts new wrinkle in study of materials folding under pressure
Scientists at the University of Chicago and the University of Santiago in Chile have explained, for the first time, the physics that governs how thin materials at scales millions of times different in thickness make the transition from wrinkles into folds under compression.
Nanoparticles Provide Detailed View Inside Living Animals
Using nanoparticles designed specifically to produce a bright Raman spectroscopic signal, a team of investigators at the Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence Focused on Therapy Response (Stanford CCNE) has shown that it can produce whole-body images in small animals that can reveal the location of tumors and track how these nanoparticles traffic through the body.
Gold nanoparticles may pan out as tool for cancer diagnosis
When it comes to searching out cancer cells, gold may turn out to be a precious metal. Purdue University researchers have created gold nanoparticles that are capable of identifying marker proteins on breast cancer cells, making the tiny particles a potential tool to better diagnose and treat cancer.
Common Ingredient in Big Macs and Sodas Can Stabilize Gold Nanoparticles for Medical Use
The future of cancer detection and treatment may be in gold nanoparticles – tiny pieces of gold so small they cannot be seen by the naked eye. The potential of gold nanoparticles has been hindered by the difficulty of making them in a stable, nontoxic form that can be injected into a patient. New research at the University of Missouri-Columbia has found that a plant extract can be used to overcome this problem, creating a new type of gold nanoparticle that is stable and nontoxic and can be administered orally or injected.
Natural Gum Improves Gold Nanoparticles for Cancer Imaging
Gold nanoparticles have shown significant promise as agents to detect and treat cancer, but researchers have had difficulty creating gold nanoparticles that have suitable pharmacological properties for use in humans. A team led by Kattesh Katti, Ph.D., principal investigator of the Hybrid Nanoparticles in Imaging and Therapy of Prostate Cancer Platform Partnership based at the University of Missouri, may have solved this problem using old-fashioned gum arabic, a compound widely used in processed foods.
Rapid, Low-Cost DNA Testing
Professor Lewis Rothberg of the University of Rochester Chemistry Department received a NYSTAR grant in August 2006 to continue working on a recent discovery by Huixiang Li, a research associate in his group: how to rapidly test DNA to improve our health and make sure we're drinking clean water and eating uncontaminated food. In fact, his new method can be used to help forensics labs identify criminals, test ponds and pools before children swim in them, and identify harmful genetic sequences in medical research, to name only a few applications. Rothberg's innovative procedure quickly and inexpensively identifies genetic sequences in any sample of DNA.
Nanoparticles and Lasers Create Cancer-Killing Microbubbles
One promising use of gold nanoparticles is to use them to convert laser energy into heat that can kill malignant cells. Now, in a promising twist on this approach to anticancer therapy, an international team of investigators has developed a method that uses clusters of gold nanoparticles to create vapor microbubbles that can kill targeted cells.