Clinicians have often pondered if cancer cells could be selectively targeted, and how payloads ranging from fluorescent dyes to oncology drugs could be accurately delivered to these cells, and then safely cleared through the kidneys. Now, researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Nanotechnology in the College of Engineering at Cornell University have found the answer in the form of a new class of ultra-small nanoparticles that are showing significant potential for cancer diagnosis and treatment, and positive results in pre-clinical and clinical trials.
Researchers are finding that the use of new ultra-small nanoparticles called C-dots allows improved visualization in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans for diagnosis and real-time image-guided intraoperative mapping of nodal metastases to aid in precise surgical excision, currently in Phase II human clinical trials.
These ultra-small particles can also serve as a precision therapeutic solution, targeting and penetrating cancer cells to deliver a range of cancer-killing drugs, with the promise of unused particles and the drugs they carry safely leaving the body through the renal system.
The architecture of the C-dot is an ultra-small silica nanoparticle with a diameter of less than 10 nanometers, first innovated at Cornell University by Ulrich Wiesner, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Engineering. Silica, also known as silicon dioxide (SiO2), is a widely existing inorganic composition which can be found in many places, e.g. plants, cosmetics, medicine and food such as bread crust.
Multiple near infrared (near-IR) fluorescent dye molecules can be covalently encapsulated inside the silica particle, and the fluorescence brightness of these molecules is further enhanced by the rigid surrounding silica matrix. As a result, the overall fluorescence brightness of C-dots can be one order of magnitude higher than that of dyes alone, delivering new capabilities to surgeons. Meanwhile, the surface of C-dots is covalently covered with polymer chains to increase bio-compatibility. Due to the high versatility of the synthesis chemistry of C-dots, different functional ligands can be selectively attached to the end of some of the polymer chains on the C-dot surface to endow the particles with a variety of functionalities for different applications, including, but not limited to cancer targeting, radio-isotopes chelating, and small molecule drug delivery.
Importantly, the ultra-small hydrodynamic size of C-dots enable them to be efficiently cleared from the body through the renal system.
Image Credit: Elucida Oncology
News This Week
X Marks the Spot: AI’s Treasure Maps Lead to Early Disease Detection
Medical diagnostics expert, doctor’s assistant, and cartographer are all fair titles for an artificial intelligence model developed by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Their new model accurately identifies tumors [...]
Scientists Discover Method To Identify Alzheimer’s Disease Before It Progresses to Dementia
Researchers at Aarhus University have discovered a method to identify Alzheimer’s disease before it progresses to dementia, potentially opening up new avenues for treatment. A groundbreaking study could pave the way for early detection [...]
Startling Discovery: COVID-19 Virus Can Stay in the Body More Than a Year After Infection
The COVID-19 virus can persist in the blood and tissue of patients for more than a year after the acute phase of the illness has ended, according to new research from UC San Francisco that offers potential [...]
New bioengineered protein design shows promise in fighting COVID-19
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists have been racing to develop effective treatments and preventatives against the virus. A recent scientific breakthrough has emerged from the work of researchers aiming to combat [...]
Sugar-coated gold nanoparticles can quickly eliminate bacterial infections, no antibiotics required
If left to their own devices, bacteria on our teeth or wounded skin can encase themselves in a slimy scaffolding, turning into what is called biofilm. These bacteria wreak havoc on our tissue and, [...]
Liquid Lightning: Nanotechnology Unlocks New Energy
EPFL researchers have discovered that nanoscale devices harnessing the hydroelectric effect can harvest electricity from the evaporation of fluids with higher ion concentrations than purified water, revealing a vast untapped energy potential. Evaporation is a natural [...]
Unmasking the Illusion: AI-Generated Faces Challenge Perceptions
Research shows survey participants duped by AI-generated images nearly 40 percent of the time. If you recently had trouble figuring out if an image of a person is real or generated through artificial intelligence [...]
New Discovery Reveals How Cells Defend Themselves During Stressful Situations
Stress granules play a crucial role in the stress response, arising from the aggregation of non-translating mRNAs and proteins. Although significant knowledge exists about stress granules, the mechanisms behind their mRNA localization remain partially [...]
Scientists use a new type of nanoparticle that can both deliver vaccines and act as an adjuvant
Many vaccines, including vaccines for hepatitis B and whooping cough, consist of fragments of viral or bacterial proteins. These vaccines often include other molecules called adjuvants, which help to boost the immune system's response [...]
Not Science Fiction: How Optical Neural Networks Are Revolutionizing AI
A novel architecture for optical neural networks utilizes wavefront shaping to precisely manipulate the travel of ultrashort pulses through multimode fibers, enabling nonlinear optical computation. Present-day artificial intelligence systems rely on billions of adjustable [...]
Turning skin cells into limb cells sets the stage for regenerative therapy
In a collaborative study, researchers from Kyushu University and Harvard Medical School have identified proteins that can turn or “reprogram” fibroblasts — the most commonly found cells in skin and connective tissue — into [...]
AI reveals prostate cancer is not just one disease
Artificial Intelligence has helped scientists reveal a new form of aggressive prostate cancer, which could revolutionise how the disease is diagnosed and treated in the future. A Cancer Research UK-funded study, published in Cell Genomics, has revealed [...]
New Study Finds That Persistent COVID-19 Infections Are Surprisingly Common
Recent research conducted by the University of Oxford has found that a high proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the general population lead to persistent infections lasting a month or more. The findings have been published in the journal Nature. [...]
Innovative nanosheet method revolutionizes brain imaging for multi-scale and long-term studies
The human brain has billions of neurons. Working together, they enable higher-order brain functions such as cognition and complex behaviors. To study these higher-order brain functions, it is important to understand how neural activity [...]
Scientists Have Discovered a Potential Universal Antivenom
Scientists at Scripps Research identified antibodies that protect against a host of lethal snake venoms. Scripps Research scientists have developed an antibody that can block the effects of lethal toxins in the venoms of [...]
Scientists discover the human brain is even more powerful than we thought
The human brain could be far more powerful than we ever imagined, scientists have discovered. Researchers have identified cell messaging which have never been uncovered before, which suggests our brains are capable of more than previously realised. It’s [...]
Leave A Comment