Process uses nanotechnology to assess cancer drug delivery
A Purdue University biochemist has demonstrated a process using nanotechnology to better assess whether cancer drugs reach their targets, which may help reduce drug side-effects.
W Andy Tao, an associate professor of biochemistry analytical chemistry at Purdue, developed a nanopolymer that can be coated with drugs, enter cells and then be removed to determine which proteins in the cells the drug has entered. Since they are water soluble, Tao believes the nanopolymers may be a better delivery system for drugs that do not dissolve in water effectively.
In addition to the drug, the synthetic nanopolymer is equipped with a chemical group that is reactive to small beads. The beads retrieve the nanopolymer and any attached proteins after the drug has done its work. Tao uses mass spectrometry to determine which proteins are present and have been targeted by the drug.
According to Purdue, knowing which proteins are targeted would allow drug developers to test whether new drugs target only desired proteins or others as well. Eliminating unintended protein targets could reduce the often serious side-effects associated with cancer drugs.
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