The use of nanoparticles in cancer research is considered as
a promising approach in detecting and fighting tumour cells. The method has,
however, often failed because the human immune system recognizes the particles
as foreign objects and rejects them before they can fulfil their function.
Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and at
University College Dublin in Ireland have, along with other partners, developed
nanoparticles that not only bypass the body’s defence system, but also find
their way to the diseased cells. This procedure uses fragments from a
particular type of antibody that only occurs in camels and llamas. The small
particles were even successful under conditions which are very similar to the
situation within potential patients’ bodies.