An attractive remedy

A nanoparticle-based drug delivery concept in which an applied magnetic field directs the accumulation in tumour cells of custom-designed, drug-filled nanocarriers has been demonstrated by

researchers.

The new approach may lead to treatments that exploit the advantages of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and that have the potential to reduce drug accumulation in normal tissues.

The in vitro results showed that magnetically guided delivery to tumour cells of these customised nanocarriers allowed for more precise targeting, while boosting cellular uptake of the PDT drugs contained inside them.

"This is a novel way to enhance drug delivery to cells," said Paras Prasad, Ph.D., executive director of UB's Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the UB College of Arts and Sciences.

"The externally applied magnetic field acted as a kind of 'remote control,' directing the nanocarriers to the targeted area in the cell culture," he said.

Once the magnetic field was applied, the concentration of drug inside the tumour cells in the target area increased.

"We have shown that we can use magnetophoretic control to deliver PDT drug to tumour cells, resulting in increased accumulation inside those cells," explained Tymish Ohulchanskyy, Ph.D., senior research scientist in the Department of Chemistry.