Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Nanoparticles target cancer
"Researchers from Rice University have devised a new cancer treatment based on nanoparticles that hone in on malignant cells and are then "switched on" to burn up the tumor. This approach would be far superior to conventional treatments that often damage healthy tissue along with the cancer. The nanoparticles--spheres of gold or gold-coated glass--circulate through the blood stream and eventually land at the tumor. Once they're accumulated, a laser beam shined from outside the body heats up just the nanoparticles, burning up the tumor. The researchers report nearly 100 percent tumor remission in animal trials. Human trials are slated to begin next year. From Technology Review:
"There is a potential for this to bring a profound change in cancer treatment," (Rice University professor Naomi) Halas says. "For the case of someone discovering a lump in their breast, this would mean that a very simple procedure could be performed that would induce remission." She says that "for many, many cases of cancer, rather than the lengthy chemotherapy or radiation therapy," an individual would have "one simple treatment and very little side effects."
Halas anticipates that approval for the method will come quickly, in part because the nanotechnology is not a drug but a device, for which the approval process is simpler. Also, she expects it will perform the same in humans as in animal models, "because heat and light work in exactly the same way whether you're in a pig, a dog, [or] a human being."