The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the World Gold Council.

Wednesday, 18th November 2009 (2959 views)

Gold has been used in a cutting-edge experiment that saw scientists successfully capture cancerous cells in the bloodstream.

The team from the University of Arkansas, led by the director of the Phillips Classic Laser and Nanomedicine Laboratory professor Vladimir Zharov, injected a mixture of magnetic nanoparticles and golden carbon nanotubes coated with a special biological coating directly into the blood to target circulating tumour cells.

A magnet attached to the skin above peripheral blood vessels was then used to capture the cells. Once caught, the cells can be removed for further analysis using microsurgery or noninvasively destroyed using laser irradiation through the skin.

The thin layer of gold around the carbon nanotubes is essential to this process, as it enhances absorption of the laser radiation while also reducing toxicity, AZo Nano noted.

Professor Zharov and his team recently published their findings in Nature Nanotechnology, a print and online science journal that brings together the latest research papers on all areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

 

« Back to Gold News stories