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Friday, 4th December 2009 (5402 views)

Microscopic discs coated with a thin layer of gold have successfully destroyed around 90 per cent of cancer cells in laboratory tests in what could potentially lead to a breakthrough in targeted treatments of the disease.

Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, Illinois and the University of Chicago used antibodies attached to the gold veneer to identify cancerous tissue known as glioma cells and attach the microscopic discs to them, the Johns Hopkins Newsletter stated.

Gold was used because it is non-toxic to living tissue and is easy to modify using organic molecules.

A key advantage of the discs over particles is they are much wider than they are thick. They also possess a magnetic property that makes them oscillate when they come into contact with an alternating current.

Elena Rozhkova, a research scientist at Argonne National Laboratory said this spinning-vortex effect created two "dramatic effects" - it compromised the integrity of the cell membrane and initiated apoptosis, or cell death.

Around 90 per cent of the cancer cells in the experiment were destroyed by the discs within ten minutes.

While the results of the experiment highlight a potentially promising new use of nanotechnology in treating cancer, the technique needs more work before clinical trials can being.

Located in the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, the Argonne National Laboratory was the first institute of its kind to be established in the United States.

 

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