How can nanotechnology be used to improve chemotherapy?
This page provides a survey of the nanotechnology based methods being developed to improve chemotherapy. One treatment under development involves targeted chemotherapy that delivers a tumor-killing agent called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) to cancer tumors.
What are the first nanotechnology-based cancer drugs?
The first nanotechnology-based cancer drugs have passed regulatory scrutiny and are already on the market including Doxil ® and Abraxane ®.
How effective are nanotrains in delivering chemotherapy drugs to cancer cells?
They have demostrated in lab studies that these nanotrains are effective in delivering chemothreapy drugs to cancer cells, and that by using different DNA strands they can customize which type of cancer cells the nanotrains target.
What are the side effects of nanotechnology in cancer treatment?
In theory, it should cause fewer side effects than current treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. Current nanotechnology-based treatments such as Abraxane and Doxil do cause side effects like weight loss, nausea, and diarrhea. But these problems may be from the chemotherapy drugs they contain.
When was nanotechnology first used in cancer treatment?
In 1972, Scheffel and colleagues first reported albumin based nanoparticles (Scheffel et al., 1972), which formed the basis of albumin-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane).
Can you cure cancer with nanotechnology?
Doctors have used nanotechnology to treat cancer for more than a decade. Two approved treatments -- Abraxane and Doxil -- help chemotherapy drugs work better. Abraxane is a nanoparticle made from the protein albumin attached to the chemo drug docetaxel. It stops cancer cells from dividing.
What treatment comes first chemo or radiation?
Radiation generally starts after chemotherapy is done.
How does nanotechnology help in early diagnosis of cancer in suspected patients?
Finally, nanotechnology is enabling the visualization of molecular markers that identify specific stages and cancer cell death induced by therapy, allowing doctors to see cells and molecules undetectable through conventional imaging.
Who cured cancer with nanoparticles?
She is one of 66 black women to earn a Ph....Hadiyah-Nicole Green.Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole GreenBornSt. Louis, Missouri, United StatesAlma materAlabama A&M University University of AlabamaKnown forCancer therapy, precision medicine, immunotherapy, nanotechnology5 more rows
Are you in favor of nanotechnology as a means of treating cancer patients?
Nanotechnology can provide rapid and sensitive detection of cancer-related molecules, enabling scientists to detect molecular changes even when they occur only in a small percentage of cells. Nanotechnology also has the potential to generate entirely novel and highly effective therapeutic agents.
How long after chemo do you start radiation?
When chemotherapy is planned, radiation usually starts three to four weeks after chemotherapy is finished. You will likely have radiation therapy as an outpatient at a hospital or other treatment facility.
When is chemo and radiation used together?
with Esophageal Cancer In the treatment called chemo-radiation, you will get both chemotherapy and radiation at the same time. Chemotherapy weakens the cancer cells which helps radiation to work better. Your treatment team consists of your medical oncologist and your radiation oncologist.
Why do oncologists push chemo?
An oncologist may recommend chemotherapy before and/or after another treatment. For example, in a patient with breast cancer, chemotherapy may be used before surgery, to try to shrink the tumor. The same patient may benefit from chemotherapy after surgery to try to destroy remaining cancer cells.
Do you think nanotechnology pose health risk?
Nonetheless, speakers noted that nanomaterials do pose several types of potential health risks, including short-term and long-term risks to the health of those taking nanomedicines, risks to the workers making nanomedicines, and contamination risks to the environment at large.
How are nanoparticles used in cancer diagnosis and treatment?
Nanoparticles can selectively target cancer biomarkers and cancer cells, allowing more sensitive diagnosis; early detection requiring minimal amount of tissue, monitoring of the progress of therapy and tumor burden over time, and destruction of solely the cancer cells.
What are the disadvantages of nanotechnology to the fields of medicine?
Some of the disadvantages of nanotechnology are: (a) It is very expensive and its developing cost is high; (b) Its manufacturing is difficult [1-4]. The usage of nanotechnology in different areas of medicine is called nanomedicine.
Is nanotechnology used for cancer?
Nanotechnology for Cancer Therapy Based on Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy has been widely applied in clinics. However, the therapeutic potential of chemotherapy against cancer is seriously dissatisfactory due to the nonspecific drug distribution, multidrug resistance (MDR) and the heterogeneity of cancer. Therefore, combinational therapy based on ...
Is chemotherapy a combinational therapy?
Chemotherapy has been widely applied in clinics. However, the therapeutic potential of chemotherapy against cancer is seriously dissatisfactory due to the nonspecific drug distribution, multidrug resistance (MDR) and the heterogeneity of cancer. Therefore, combinational therapy based on chemotherapy mediated by nanotechnology, ...
Is combinational therapy based on chemotherapy mediated by nanotechnology?
Therefore, combinational therapy based on chemotherapy mediated by nanotechnology, has been the trend in clinical research at present, which can result in a remarkably increased therapeutic efficiency with few side effects to normal tissues.
What are the nanoparticles used in cancer treatment?
Researchers at the University of Leicester and three other universities are developing synthetic polymer nanoparticles, or nanoMIPs, which may result in improved delivery of chemotherapy drugs to cancer cells. Researchers are developing graphene strips to deliver different drugs to specific regions of cancer cells.
How do nanoparticles help pancreatic cancer?
The first nanoparticle removes material on the exterior of the cancer cells that block the entry of chemotherapy drugs, the second nanoparticle carries the chemothreapy drug. Testing this method on laboratory mice showed significantly faster shrinkage of the tumors than other methods.
How do nanoparticles help the immune system?
An improved way to shield nanoparticles delivering chemotherapy drugs from the immune system has been developed by forming the nanoparticles from the membranes of red blood cells. Researchers have demonstrated a method of delivering a protein to cancer cells that destroys the cancer cells. They use a polymer nanoshell to deliver ...
What is TNF treatment?
One treatment under development involves targeted chemotherapy that delivers a tumor-killing agent called tumor necrosis factor alpha ( TNF) to cancer tumors. TNF is attached to a gold nanoparticle along with Thiol-derivatized polyethylene glycol (PEG-THIOL), which hides the TNF bearing nanoparticle from the immune system. This allows the nanoparticle to flow through the blood stream without being attacked. For more details read the article at this link. The company developing this targeted chemotherapy method to deliver TNF and other chemotherapy drugs to cancer tumors is called CytImmune.
What is the drug used to treat pancreatic cancer?
Researchers at UCLA have demonstrated the use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles to deliver the chemotherapy drug irinotecan to pancreatic cancer tumors. Testing on mice indicates that this method reduces the toxity of the chemotherapy.
What is the use of manganese dioxide nanoparticles?
Researchers at the University of Tornoto have demonstrated the use of manganese dioxide nanoparticles designed to concentrate in a tumor and generate oxygen can increase the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin. Researchers at UCLA have demonstrated the use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles to deliver the chemotherapy drug irinotecan ...
How does DNA work in cancer?
The DNA strands act as a scaffold, holding together the nanorod and the chemotherapy drug. When Infrared light illuminates the cancer tumor the gold nanorod absorbs the infrared light, turning it into heat. The heat both releases the chemotherapy drug and helps destroy the cancer cells.
How can nanotechnology help cancer?
In current research, nanotechnology can validate cancer imaging at the tissue, cell, and molecular levels20. This is achieved through the capacity of nanotechnology applications to explore the tumor's environment, For instance, pH- response to fluorescent nanoprobes can help detect fibroblast activated protein-a on the cell membrane of tumor-associated fibroblasts21. Hereon, we will discuss some nanotechnology-based spatial and temporal techniques that can help accurately track living cells and monitor dynamic cellular events in tumors.
Why are nanoparticles used in cancer research?
In the past few decades, the application of nanoparticles in cancer diagnosis and monitoring has attracted a lot of attention with several nanoparticle types being used today for molecular imaging. Due to their advantages including small size, good biocompatibility, and high atomic number, they have gained prominence in recent cancer research and diagnosis. Nanoparticles used in cancer such as semiconductors, quantum dots and iron oxide nanocrystals possess optical, magnetic or structural properties that are less common in other molecules 13. Different anti-tumor drugs and biomolecules including peptides, antibodies or other chemicals, can be used with nanoparticles to label highly specific tumors, which are useful for early detection and screening of cancer cells14.
What is the action of gold nanoparticles in cancer cells?
Various types of gold nanoparticles (different sizes, morphologies, and ligands) accumulate in tumor tissues by the action of osmotic tension effect (termed Passive targeting) or localize to specific cancer cells in a ligand-receptor binding way (termed Active targeting).
How to improve screening with nanocarrier?
Another method to improve screening with nanocarrier is to improve the sensitivity of mass spectrometry. The unique optical and thermal properties of carbon nanotubes enhance the energy-transfer efficiency of the analyte, contributing to the absorption and ionization of the analyte, and eliminate the interference of inherent matrix ions46-48. A third approach is to use nanotechnology to make lab-on-chip microfluidics devices that can be used for immuno-screening or to study the properties of tumor cells. For example, a system showing great promise is lab-on-a-chip for high performance multiplexed protein detection using quantum dots made of cadmium selenide (CdSe) core with a zinc sulfide (ZnS) shell linked to antibodies to carcinoembryonic antigen, cancer antigen 125 and Her-2/Neu49. Another example is that cells growing on the surface of different sized nanometres, which were discovered by these nanometres across can differentiate between tumor cells50. Suffice it to say that there are still false-positive and false-negative results from screening of biomarkers by nanotechnology, and we need to improve sensitivity without compromising specificity.
What are quantum dots used for?
Quantum dots that emit fluorescence in the near-infrared spectrum (i.e., 700-1000 nanometers) have been designed to overcome this problem, making them more suitable for imaging colorectal cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lymphoma22-24 . A second near-infrared (NIR) window (NIR-ii, 900-1700 nm) with higher tissue penetration depth, higher spatial and temporal resolution has also been developed to aid cancer imaging. Also, the development of a silver-rich Ag2Te quantum dots (QDs) containing a sulfur source has been reported to allow visualization of better spatial resolution images over a wide infrared range25.
Can nanoparticles detect cancer?
For cancer diagnostics, imaging of tumor tissue with nanoparticles has made it possible to detect cancer in its early stages. In lung cancer, the detection of metastases can be determined by developing immune superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) that can be used in MRI imaging with the cancer cell lines as the target for the SPIONs 15. Recent studies have shown a high specificity of SPIONs with no known side effects, making them suitable building blocks for aerosols in lung cancer MRI imaging16-18,19.
What is the application of nanotechnology to cancer?
As a result, the application of nanotechnology to cancer can lead to many advances in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer. The first nanotechnology-based cancer drugs have passed regulatory scrutiny and are already on the market including Doxil ® and Abraxane ®.
How does nanotechnology help cancer?
The use of nanotechnology for diagnosis and treatment of cancer is largely still in the development phase. However, there are already several nanocarrier-based drugs on the market and many more nano-based therapeutics in clinical trials. The application of nanotechnology to medicine includes the use of precisely engineered materials to develop novel therapies and devices that may reduce toxicity as well as enhance the efficacy and delivery of treatments. As a result, the application of nanotechnology to cancer can lead to many advances in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer. The first nanotechnology-based cancer drugs have passed regulatory scrutiny and are already on the market including Doxil ® and Abraxane ®.
What is the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology?
The NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology funds development of new technologies to bring the next generation of cancer treatments and diagnostics to the clinic.
How does nanotechnology help cancer?
One of the potential fundamental advantages of nanotechnology for cancer treatment is tumor targeting (Figure 1). The ability to differentiate malignant cells from nonmalignant and to selectively eradicate malignant cells is central to the mission of nanotechnology as it relates to cancer treatment. Two fundamental processes are involved in differentiating malignant and nonmalignant cells: passive and active targeting. Passive targeting takes advantage of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect [11, 12] to increase the concentration of nanoparticles (NPs) in the tumor. Active targeting [13] may involve selective molecular recognition of antigens, frequently proteins, that are expressed on the surfaces of cancer cells in order to localize NPs to malignant cells or, alternatively, exploits biochemical properties associated with malignancy such as matrix metalloproteinase secretion [14]. Passive and active targeting may be deployed independently, or the two approaches may be combined. Both strategies benefit from surface modifications of NPs that minimize uptake by the macrophage phagocytic system (MPS) [15], thus, maximizing time in circulation.
Why is nanotechnology important?
Nanotechnology is playing an increasingly important role in cancer diagnosis and treatment . The size regime of NPs is small compared to cells and cellular organelles permitting NPs to interact with specific features of cells and allowing for tumor cell localization through active targeting [76, 126]. The size regime of NPs is also appropriate for passive targeting to tumor tissue via the EPR [77]. Thus, nano-sized materials have particular advantages for cancer treatment with distinct features relative to low molecular weight drugs. These properties are being effectively exploited for improved delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs [78] resulting in both enhanced anticancer activity and reduced systemic toxicity.
What is the effect of polyethylene glycol on NPs?
MPS [47]). Coating of NPs with polyethylene glycol (PEG) or other amphipathic agents reduces the affinity of proteins involved in the opsonization of NPs and , thus, reduces MPS uptake [48]. PEGylation reduced MPS uptake of quantum dots (QDs) up to ninefold, while peptide derivatization had a lesser effect [49]. Dai and coworkers showed that using 90 kDa amphiphilic poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene)-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) [C18-PMH-mPEG], they were able to get 30% of the administered dose of modified SWNT localized in tumor tissue [22, 23]. A recent study evaluated the effects of surface modification of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) on the interaction with blood components including NP biodistribution [50]. GNPs are internalized by monocytes regardless of surface modification. Enhanced tumor accumulation correlated with enhanced circulation and was found to be surface-dependent with fresh, rather than lyophilized PEG, enhancing time in circulation. The effects of surface charge on cell uptake and biodistribution of PEG- oligocholic acid micelles were systematically evaluated [51]. A slight negative charge was found to maximize tumor uptake and minimize uptake by MPS cells of the liver. Surface modification to reduce MPS uptake continues to be an important strategy for developing NPs with improved therapeutic activity. For example, low MW chitosan has been developed as an alternative to PEGylation that may allow for retention of specific molecular interactions that are masked by PEG [52].
What is NP mediated drug delivery?
NP-mediated drug delivery is based upon the premise that it is, for the most part, no more difficult to kill a cancer cell than any other nonmalignant cells. Conventional cytotoxic agents, such as doxorubicin (DOX), are highly cytotoxic to cancer cells but are, unfortunately, highly cytotoxic to nonmalignant cells as well – particularly rapidly dividing cells in the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow. NP-mediated delivery of conventional cytotoxic drugs allows for control over drug cytotoxicity based upon the biodistribution profile for the NP rather than for the free drug [76, 77]. NP-mediated drug delivery also reduces the excretion rate for low MW cytotoxic drugs providing an increased opportunity to remain in the circulation and accumulate in the targeted region. A successful example of nanotechnology-mediated drug delivery is the liposome-mediated delivery of DOX (e.g., Doxil) [78] that has substantially reduced cardiotoxicity [79] relative to free DOX. The albumin-conjugated PTX NP (Abraxane) demonstrated promising efficacy in breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer and is approved by the FDA [80, 81]. The platform of nanotechnology addressed the hydrophobicity-related issue of PTX and helped to prepare a toxic solvent (cremphor)-free formulation reducing the overall toxicity of the therapeutic [80]. A number of recent studies have also proposed novel approaches for improved drug-delivery using NPs. Our laboratory has shown that creating a nano-sized DNA polymer results in enhanced antileukemic activity relative to low MW drugs [82].
Why are NPs important for imaging?
NPs may be highly useful for imaging applications [53] because of the high surface area-to-volume ratio (relative to larger particles) as well as having the potential for numerous sites for chemical modification that may be used to amplify imaging sensitivity [53]. While the avoidance of macrophage uptake is important for NP-mediated effects in many instances, the propensity of NPs to undergo macrophage-mediated phagocytosis may be beneficial for imaging applications. Superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs (IONPs) have been used for MR imaging of lymph nodes following macrophage uptake, which may be beneficial for detecting metastatic disease [54, 55]. The poor lymphatic drainage of tumors that contributes to accumulation of NPs for drug-delivery applications may also be used to image tumors with IONPs [56]. IONPs have also been conjugated to the amino-terminal fragment of urokinase plasminogen activator to specifically image breast cancer [57], while conjugation with an antibody to EGFR was used for imaging brain tumors [58]. Generalized chemical methods for developing surface-modified IONP for cancer imaging are being developed [59]. Recently, a new approach for in vivoassembly of NPs with imaging agents was described [60].
How important is technology in cancer treatment?
The need for an advanced technology to play an important role for cancer treatment is clearly evident in the statistics indicating that cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality remain at exceedingly high levels [1]. Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide with an estimated 7.6 million individuals lost each year and accounting for 13% of all deaths. Cancer-related mortality is expected to rise to 13.1 million by 2030. Cancer is not a single disease but a multitude of diseases with each organ or system developing a distinct set of diseases. Many instances of cancer could be avoided, with some estimates indicating that about 30% of cancer deaths are associated with smoking or other lifestyle factors or dietary practices that could potentially be avoided by changes in human behavior [2–4]. Nonetheless, the majority of cancers cannot be avoided by simple behavioral changes and require technological innovation to improve outcomes. The developed world has had notable success in limiting cancer caused by viral infections [e.g., human papilloma virus (HPV)] [5–7]. This success could be further enhanced by more widespread implementation of existing vaccine technologies and also by using nanotechnology as well as other technologies to improve vaccination efficiency [5–8]. Nanotechnology may also be able to increase the percentage of cancers that are diagnosed early through improved imaging and this, in conjunction with more aggressive implementation of existing screening technologies, will lead to improved outcomes for cancer patients [9, 10]. Still, for many cancer types, new approaches for treating established disease are required. To address these therapeutic requirements, nano-sized molecular tools capable of distinguishing between malignant and nonmalignant cells as well as delivering a lethal payload should be developed. This review summarizes several of the most innovative technologies that have been reported in recent years and that hold promise for improving outcomes for cancer patients.
Where did Supratim Ghosh get his PhD?
Supratim Ghosh (left) received BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Calcutta and recently received his PhD from the Molecular Genetics program at WFSM performing research focused on improved cancer treatment using nanotechnology under the supervision of Dr. Gmeiner.
How does nanotechnology help doctors?
Nanotechnology can also help doctors locate cancer in blood or tissue samples. It can spot pieces of cancer cells or DNA that are too small for current tests to pick up.
What is nanotechnology used for?
Nanotechnology for Cancer Treatment and Management . In the 1966 sci-fi movie Fantastic Voyage, a team of doctors shrank down and traveled in a tiny submarine through a Russian scientist's body to remove a blood clot in his brain.
What is the best treatment for cancer?
Doctors have used nanotechnology to treat cancer for more than a decade. Two approved treatments -- Abraxane and Doxil -- help chemotherapy drugs work better. Abraxane is a nanoparticle made from the protein albumin attached to the chemo drug docetaxel. It stops cancer cells from dividing.
What can be coated with to detect cancer?
Particles can also be coated with substances that send out a signal when they find cancer. For example, nanoparticles made from iron oxide bind to cancer cells and send off a strong signal that lights up the cancer on MRI scans. Nanotechnology can also help doctors locate cancer in blood or tissue samples. It can spot pieces of cancer cells ...
Why are nanoparticles important?
The small size of nanoparticles allows them to deliver medicines into areas of the body that would normally be hard to reach. One example is the blood-brain barrier, which prevents toxic substances from getting into the brain. It also blocks some medicines. Nanoparticles are small enough to cross this barrier, which makes them a useful treatment for brain cancer.
Why do nanoparticles have small size?
That damage is what causes side effects. The small size of nanoparticles allows them to deliver medicines into areas of the body that would normally be hard to reach.
Can nanotechnology detect cancer?
You usually need a biopsy to know for sure. Because of its small size, nanotechnology can detect changes in a very small number of cells. It can tell the difference between normal and cancer cells. And it can get to cancer at its earliest stages, when the cells have just started to divide and the cancer is easier to cure.