Nanoparticles hunt down and kill tumors
An innovative therapy that uses gold nanoparticles to destroy tumors could someday offer patients a new weapon against cancer, recent animal studies suggest. Researchers at Rice University in Houston injected gold-coated silica spheres into mouse tumors. Light shined onto the particles triggered the release of heat that destroyed the cancer cells. Because this phototherapy would be less invasive than surgery, it could offer an alternative to typical cancer treatments, the team says.
Each particle, which the researchers call a nanoshell, measures about 130 nanometers in diameter. The team designed the nanoshells to absorb near-infrared light, which can penetrate tissue without damaging it.