Chinese researchers have developed a nanoparticle that can accurately detect and treat cancer, reducing the side effects of excessive drug use, said the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology (IAPMST) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in a recent statement.
According to the academy, drug overdose is the leading cause of the side effects in cancer detection and treatment, because the existing drugs can't target cancer cells precisely and the time the drug stays in the body is short, so a high dose injection is needed to meet expected results.
A team of researchers from the IAPMST developed "graphene quantum dots-based nanotransformers" (GQD NT), a nanoparticle that can intelligently identify tumors by taking advantage of differences between tumor microenvironments and normal tissues, said the IAPMST.
The nanoparticle continuously deforms, prolonging the drugs' residing time and can better penetrate into tumors, realizing the long-term magnetic resonance imaging detection and treatment with a lower drug dose.
The therapy designed by the team showed that the tumor decreased by 82 percent after a single treatment, and was removed after the second one, according to the academy.
It added that the photosensitizer dose, a drug used in the therapy, was 10 to 30 times lower.
The study was published in the journal Advanced Materials in April. (CGTN)
86-10-68597521 (day)
86-10-68597289 (night)
52 Sanlihe Rd., Xicheng District,
Beijing, China (100864)
Copyright © 2002 - Chinese Academy of Sciences
