Nanoscale device optimises dose of toxic cancer drug

Claimed to be as accurate - and ten times less expensive - than equipment currently used in hospitals, this nanoscale device has an optical system that takes less than a minute to gauge the optimal dose of methotrexate a patient needs, while minimising the drug’s adverse effects.

The research was led by Jean-François Masson and Joelle Pelletier at the university’s Department of Chemistry.

Methotrexate has been used for many years to treat certain cancers, among other diseases, because of its ability to block the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). This enzyme is active in the synthesis of DNA precursors and promotes the proliferation of cancer cells.

‘While effective, methotrexate is also highly toxic and can damage the healthy cells of patients, hence the importance of closely monitoring the drug’s concentration in the serum of treated individuals to adjust the dosage,’ Masson said in a statement.

Until now, monitoring has been done in hospitals with a device using fluorescent bioassays to measure light polarisation produced by a drug sample.