Researchers at the Department of Experimental Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have developed a method to destroy melanoma using targeted gold nanospheres to burn away the tumor from the inside.Injecting simple hollow gold nanospheres 40-50 nm in diameter causes them to accumulate in melanoma tumors because their small size allows them to penetrate the abnormally large pores of blood vessels that feed cancerous tumors. However, when filled with a peptide that binds to the melanocortin type 1 receptor abundant in melanoma cells, these nanoparticles are actively drawn into the cells via the cell membrane.
Once these nanoparticles are in place, the tumor is subjected to a process called photothermal ablation. A dose of near-infrared light is applied to the cancer, which penetrates deeper into tissue than visible or ultraviolet light. The energy is absorbed by the nanoparticles, causing them to heat up and destroy the surrounding tissue. At a dose merely 12% of the dose required without the nanoparticles, cancerous tumors are highly targeted and healthy tissue is spared.
The use of elemental gold has a long history of medical applications as it is safe and largely nonreactive to organic tissues. Experiments have been successful in laboratory and mouse models but still await human trials.
These results were published in the February 1st issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
Source: ScienceDaily; Photo: M.D. Anderson
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