Southampton research brings smart gold nanoparticles closer to a treatment for cancer

July 8, 2011 by
Filed under: News 

Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed smart nanomaterials which can disrupt the blood supply to cancerous tumours and be used in nanosurgery.

The team of researchers, led by Physics lecturer Dr Antonios Kanaras, showed that a small dose of gold nanoparticles can activate or inhibit genes that are involved in angiogenesis – a complex process responsible for the supply of oxygen and nutrients to most types of cancer.

“The peptide-functionalised gold nanoparticles that we synthesised are very effective in the deliberate activation or inhibition of angiogenic genes,” said Dr Kanaras.

The team went a step further to control the degree of damage to the endothelial cells using laser illumination. Endothelial cells construct the interior of blood vessels and play a pivotal role in angiogenesis. They also found that the gold particles could be used as effective tools in cellular nanosurgery.

“We have found that gold nanoparticles can have a dual role in cellular manipulation. Applying laser irradiation, we can use the nanoparticles either to destroy endothelial cells, as a measure to cut the blood supply to tumours, or to deliberately open up the cellular membrane in order to deliver a drug efficiently,” said Dr Kanaras.

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