Scientists from the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology (SIBET) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the South China University of Technology collaborated to create near-infrared (NIR)-powered nano-assemblies with size and charge dual transformation for the integration of photo-controlled chemotherapy and immunotherapy in breast cancer.
The findings of the study have been recently reported in Theranostics.
Nanotechnology has novel benefits in enhancing the bioavailability of substances that are poorly soluble, accomplishing well-regulated and targeted drug release, and incorporating various therapeutic methods on the same platform.
Nevertheless, there are many biological hurdles in real-world applications, including transvascular transport, blood circulation, dense tumor extracellular matrix and malformed tumor vessels, thus, the majority of the nanoparticles are mostly localized around the outer edges of the tumor, and it is hard to enter the tumor to exercise cell-killing effect.
During this study, the team engineered diselenide-bridged mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles as a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive core for the loading of chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX). They then coated an indocyanine green (ICG)-hybrid N-isopropyl acrylamide layer to create a thermosensitive shell.
The negatively charged thermosensitive layer prevents DOX leakage, rendering prolonged blood circulation time and high tumor accumulation.
Wenfei Dong, Researcher, SIBET
When irradiated with NIR light, mild photothermal effects enable the dissociation of the thermosensitive shell to accomplish negative-to-positive surface charge reversal. In the meantime, ICG-produced ROS cleaves the diselenide bond of the organosilica core, resulting in quick matrix degradation that creates DOX-comprising smaller fragments (115-20 nm).
Such a NIR light-triggered charge and size dual-transformable nano-assembly allows tumor buildup and deep penetration, improves chemotherapy effectiveness and prompts strong immunogenic cell death effects in vivo and in vitro.
In animal research, integrated with programmed cell death protein-1 checkpoint blockade, the nano-platform considerably obstructed major tumor development and pulmonary metastasis of breast cancer, significantly decreasing the harmful side effects of free drugs.
This research offers a new system for a safe and effective combination treatment for breast cancer. The researchers will alter the antibodies on the surface of the nano-assembly to improve the active targeting of tumors and endeavor to use the platform to transport gene-editing tools for gene therapy of tumors.
News
Scientists discover natural ‘brake’ that could stop harmful inflammation
Researchers at University College London (UCL) have uncovered a key mechanism that helps the body switch off inflammation—a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for chronic diseases affecting millions worldwide. Inflammation is the [...]
A Forgotten Molecule Could Revive Failing Antifungal Drugs and Save Millions of Lives
Scientists have uncovered a way to make existing antifungal drugs work again against deadly, drug-resistant fungi. Fungal infections claim millions of lives worldwide each year, and current medical treatments are failing to keep pace. [...]
Scientists Trap Thyme’s Healing Power in Tiny Capsules
A new micro-encapsulation breakthrough could turn thyme’s powerful health benefits into safer, smarter nanodoses. Thyme extract is often praised for its wide range of health benefits, giving it a reputation as a natural medicinal [...]
Scientists Develop Spray-On Powder That Instantly Seals Life-Threatening Wounds
KAIST scientists have created a fast-acting, stable powder hemostat that stops bleeding in one second and could significantly improve survival in combat and emergency medicine. Severe blood loss remains the primary cause of death from [...]
Oceans Are Struggling To Absorb Carbon As Microplastics Flood Their Waters
New research points to an unexpected way plastic pollution may be influencing Earth’s climate system. A recent study suggests that microscopic plastic pollution is reducing the ocean’s capacity to take in carbon dioxide, a [...]
Molecular Manufacturing: The Future of Nanomedicine – New book from Frank Boehm
This book explores the revolutionary potential of atomically precise manufacturing technologies to transform global healthcare, as well as practically every other sector across society. This forward-thinking volume examines how envisaged Factory@Home systems might enable the cost-effective [...]
New Book! NanoMedical Brain/Cloud Interface – Explorations and Implications
New book from Frank Boehm, NanoappsMedical Inc Founder: This book explores the future hypothetical possibility that the cerebral cortex of the human brain might be seamlessly, safely, and securely connected with the Cloud via [...]
Global Health Care Equivalency in the Age of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine and Artificial Intelligence
A new book by Frank Boehm, NanoappsMedical Inc. Founder. This groundbreaking volume explores the vision of a Global Health Care Equivalency (GHCE) system powered by artificial intelligence and quantum computing technologies, operating on secure [...]
Miller School Researchers Pioneer Nanovanilloid-Based Brain Cooling for Traumatic Injury
A multidisciplinary team at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has developed a breakthrough nanodrug platform that may prove beneficial for rapid, targeted therapeutic hypothermia after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Their work, published in ACS [...]
COVID-19 still claims more than 100,000 US lives each year
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers report national estimates of 43.6 million COVID-19-associated illnesses and 101,300 deaths in the US during October 2022 to September 2023, plus 33.0 million illnesses and 100,800 deaths [...]
Nanomedicine in 2026: Experts Predict the Year Ahead
Progress in nanomedicine is almost as fast as the science is small. Over the last year, we've seen an abundance of headlines covering medical R&D at the nanoscale: polymer-coated nanoparticles targeting ovarian cancer, Albumin recruiting nanoparticles for [...]
Lipid nanoparticles could unlock access for millions of autoimmune patients
Capstan Therapeutics scientists demonstrate that lipid nanoparticles can engineer CAR T cells within the body without laboratory cell manufacturing and ex vivo expansion. The method using targeted lipid nanoparticles (tLNPs) is designed to deliver [...]
The Brain’s Strange Way of Computing Could Explain Consciousness
Consciousness may emerge not from code, but from the way living brains physically compute. Discussions about consciousness often stall between two deeply rooted viewpoints. One is computational functionalism, which holds that cognition can be [...]
First breathing ‘lung-on-chip’ developed using genetically identical cells
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and AlveoliX have developed the first human lung-on-chip model using stem cells taken from only one person. These chips simulate breathing motions and lung disease in an individual, [...]
Cell Membranes May Act Like Tiny Power Generators
Living cells may generate electricity through the natural motion of their membranes. These fast electrical signals could play a role in how cells communicate and sense their surroundings. Scientists have proposed a new theoretical [...]
This Viral RNA Structure Could Lead to a Universal Antiviral Drug
Researchers identify a shared RNA-protein interaction that could lead to broad-spectrum antiviral treatments for enteroviruses. A new study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), published in Nature Communications, explains how enteroviruses begin reproducing [...]
