Nanoshells could enhance precision of cancer treatment

Developed at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, the new nanoshells are expected to deliver a more precise and less invasive treatment of cancer tumours.

In a new study, published in Nano Today, a group led by Yi Tang, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, reported developing tiny shells composed of a water-soluble polymer that deliver a protein complex to the nucleus of cancer cells. The shells themselves degrade harmlessly in non-cancerous cells.

The process does not present the risk of genetic mutation posed by gene therapies for cancer, or the risk to healthy cells caused by chemotherapy, which does not effectively discriminate between healthy and cancerous cells, Tang said in a statement.

‘This approach is potentially a new way to treat cancer,’ said Tang. ‘It is a difficult problem to deliver the protein if we don’t use this vehicle. This is a unique way to treat cancer cells and leave healthy cells untouched.’