Bioengineers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a smart anti-cancer nanoparticle with precisely targeted tumor-killing activity superior to previous technologies.

The state-of-the-art nanoparticle features an exceptionally sturdy shell capable of carrying large loads of chemotherapeutic drugs through the circulatory system to the tumor without the leakage that can damage healthy tissue.

The nanomedicine is photothermal-responsive, so the cancer-killing load of the particle is released only when it enters the tumor cells and is activated by laser light. The photothermal sensitivity is also used to track the particle as it moves through the mouse circulation. The method is called photoacoustic imaging, as the laser light induces heat that expands the particle, releasing a pulse that can be monitored by ultrasound.

In a mouse breast cancer model the thermo-chemotherapy combo eliminated nearly 100% of breast tumors and also efficiently killed cells attempting to metastasize from the breast to the lung. Systemic toxic effects on the mice were eliminated due to the precise targeting and release of the chemotherapeutic agents.

Reported in the February issue of Nature Communications, this cancer-killing technology is the latest and most effective created by members of the Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine (LOMIN) at NIBIB which is led by Senior Investigator, Xiaoyuan (Shawn) Chen.

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