(July 13, 2015) Researchers
at Duke University have devised a heat-induced nanoparticle drug delivery
system to add firepower to a treatment already in clinical trials
In a move akin to adding chemical weapons to a firebomb,
researchers at Duke University have devised a method for making a promising
nanoscale cancer treatment even more deadly to tumors.
The invention allows an extremely thin layer of hydrogels
(think contact lenses) to be deposited on the surface of nanoshells --
particles about a hundred nanometers wide designed to absorb infrared light and
generate heat. When heated, these special hydrogels lose their water content
and release any molecules (such as drugs) trapped within.
By depositing the hydrogels on tumor-torching nanoshells and
loading the new coating with chemotherapeutic drugs, a formidable one-two punch
is formed.
The technique is described in a paper published in the
journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering on July 13, 2015, and was
highlighted as an ACS Editor’s Choice.
“The idea is to combine tumor-destroying heat therapy with
localized drug delivery, so that you can hopefully have the most effective
treatment possible,” said Jennifer West, the Fitzpatrick Family University
Professor of Engineering at Duke, who holds appointments in biomedical
engineering, mechanical engineering and materials science, cell biology, and
chemistry. “And many chemotherapeutic drugs have been shown to be more
effective in heated tissue, so there’s a potential synergy between the two
approaches.”