'Stealth smart bomb' to treat cancer
Washington: Scientists have inched closer to a nanotechnology therapy that targets cancer with a "stealth smart bomb" tuned to dodge the body’s immune system.
BIND 014, which targets tumour cells while evading the
body’s immune system, promises to deliver larger and more
effective doses of drugs to cancers, while simultaneously
sparing patients many of the distressing side-effects of
chemotherapy, The Times newspaper said today.
Measuring about 100 nanometres — or one ten-millionth
of a metre — this nanoparticle’s diameter is 1,000 times
smaller than that of a human hair.
The drug-filled "warhead" is covered with a "stealth
coating" of polyethylene glycol, which helps the particle to
hide so that it is not attacked by elements of the body’s
immune system such as antibodies and macrophage cells.
Normally, nanoparticles for drug delivery risk being
recognised by the immune system and destroyed.
"Regular nanoparticles struggle to get through to
tumours," said Professor Robert Langer, of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, who developed the "special delivery
parcel" along with and Omid Farokhzad of Harvard University.
"We’ve created a nanoparticle decorated with two
molecules, one of which helps it to dodge the immune system,
while the other helps it to target cancer cells," Professor
Langer was quoted as saying by the British daily.
The therapy is to begin patient trials next year in
the first clinical test of a pioneering approach to medicine,
according to the report.
Bureau Report