Cancer, uncontrolled proliferation of mutant cells, proves a devastating and life-threatening disease. Cancer therapies generally aim to remove the tumor cells or halt cell growth. A number of treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, have proved effective at killing cancer cells, but also affect neighboring tissues, leading to adverse side effects from treatment. Nanotechnology, the use of microscopic particles, as a cancer treatment technique aims to target treatment to cancer cells and prevent the side effects normally associated with cancer therapy.
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
Boron neutron capture therapy uses nanotechnology to deliver radiation into the cancer cell. Boron is a chemical that can be found on its own, or built into molecules called boron nitrogen nantotubes, also called BN nanotubes. The nanotubes can be chemically attached to proteins which will concentrate the nanotubes in the tumor cell, avoiding other tissues. Once the BN nanotubes are deposited into the tumor, they can be used for cancer therapy.
In boron neutron capture therapy, physicians apply a small dose of radiation to the tumor. When the BN nanotubes respond to low radiation treatment, the boron emits a highly lethal form of radiation, that will kill cancer cells. The radiation emitted by the boron has a very low field of action, so it only affects the cells directly surrounding the BN nanotube. The use of boron neutron capture therapy allows for lower doses of radiation exposure for healthy tissues, decreasing the rate of side effects from radiation therapy.
Gold Nanoparticles
Use of gold nanoparticles remains another form of nanotechnology treatment for cancer. The gold particles used in treatment are fused to proteins called antibodies, which attract the nanoparticles specifically to cancer cells, concentrating the gold nanoparticles within the tumor. Once the gold nanoparticles become concentrated within the tumor, they can kill the cancer cells.
According to the American Cancer Society, when the gold particles become exposed to infra-red light, the particles heat up significantly. The heat damages the tumor cells by destroying the proteins the cell needs to survive, and the cancer cells die. Since the gold particles become attracted to cancer cells, healthy tissue is not generally affected, so patients have fewer side effects than from normal radiation therapy.
Nanovectors for Treatment
The development of nanotechnology allows for efficient delivery of therapeutics into tumor cells. Some nanotechnology molecules can form cage-like structures, which can be filled with chemotherapeutic agents. Many chemotherapy agents prove extremely damaging to healthy tissue as well as cancer cells, so concentrating the chemotherapy drug inside the tumor will help eliminate side effects. To do this, the nanomolecule that is attached to specific antibodies will be attracted to tumor cells, so the nanomolecules become concentrated within the tumor cells. This delivers a high dose of chemotherapy treatment into the cancer cell, while avoiding healthy tissue.
A review paper published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery in 2007 reports that physicians have successfully and safely used nanotechnology to deliver the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. As technology advances, nanovector therapy may allow for highly effective and personalized cancer therapy.
