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Friday, 19th January 2007 (8421 views)

The use of gold nanoparticles in anti-cancer research is sparking hope that new non-invasive cancer treatments can soon be found.

Using a technique pioneered by Washington County native John Kanzius, researchers in Texas have managed to kill live pancreatic cancer cells by spiking them with gold nanoparticles and then destroying them with radio waves, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The cancer cells spiked with the gold nanoparticles were mixed into a solution that also contained healthy human cells. When this solution was exposed to radio waves the cancer cells were destroyed, while the healthy human tissue was unaffected.

Although the experiment was conducted using cancer cells outside the human body, the researchers hope the method could be used to develop an effective, non-invasive cancer treatments in the future.

They say they now plan to test the Kanzius method on animals and providing the experiments are successful they could then test it on humans.

The researchers, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, have also been using gold nanoparticles to help develop possible lung cancer treatments.

 

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