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Thursday, 19th November 2009 (3189 views)

Scientists have used gold nanoparticles in a new treatment that has achieve "unprecedented" reductions in the size of prostate cancer tumours in mice.

Dr Kattesh Katti and Dr Raghuraman Kannan of the University of Missouri's School of Medicine have been working on the new therapy for over four years.

In recent trials, a single dose of their engineered radioactive gold nanoparticles reduced prostate tumours in subject mice by 82 per cent. No side effects were observed to the injection.

"We're encouraged by the results of this study and its implications," Dr Katti said.

She added that reducing the size of a tumour has a direct impact on the effectiveness of treatments such as chemotherapy, while also helping to slow down a cancer's metastasis and invasion.

Dr Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the not-for-profit Mayo Clinic, said the options for clinical interventions in advanced stage prostate and pancreatic cancers are currently "limited", so the new therapy could potentially provide a new avenue of treatment for patients.

 

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