Mar 31, 2008 3:46 pm US/Pacific
UCLA Researchers Have Cancer Breakthrough
LOS ANGELES
UCLA researchers have developed a new weapon in the fight against cancer. University officials Monday announced the development of the "nanomachine," which operates inside a living cell and can store anti-cancer drugs inside tiny pores and release them into cancer cells in response to light.
Known as a "nanoimpeller," the device is the first light-powered nanomachine that operates inside a living cell, according to the researchers, who said the development has strong implications for cancer treatment.
Designing such systems has been the subject of extensive research because of their ability to deliver precise amounts of drugs.
"The achievement here is gaining precise control of the amount of drugs that are released by controlling the light exposure," said Fuyu Tamanoi, UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and director of the signal transduction and therapeutics program at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"Controlled release to a specific location is the key issue," Tamanoi said. "And the release is only activated by where the light is shining."
The results of the research were published Monday in the nanoscience journal Small.
"The nanomachines are positioned in molecular-sized pores inside of spherical particles and function in aqueous and biological environments," said Jeffrey Zink, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry.
According to Zink and Tamanoi, the system could become the next platform for treating cancers such as colon and stomach cancer, offering the ability to administer repeated small doses of medicine and better control of the drug's effect.
Zink and Tamanoi are two of the co-directors of the Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release at the California NanoSystems Institute.
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