JCROWS.COM
Gold shells can kill inoperable tumours
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
(Filed: 04/11/2003)
Tiny golden "nanoshells" offer a new way to kill
inoperable tumours without harming surrounding
tissue, according to a study published today.
The shells, which consist of glass coated with gold,
are called nanoshells because they are a few
billionths of a metre (a nanometre) across, and mark
another example of the burgeoning field of
nanotechnology.
A Texan team, led by Dr Jennifer West at Rice
University, claims that the shells could be used to
treat tumours which have been hard to target until
now.
Most solid tumours are removed by surgery but
there are some that are impossible to remove
because they are so small, mingled with surrounding
tissue or located within a vital organ or tissue.
There are ways to deal with inoperable tumours but
they often damage healthy tissue too. Now Dr
West's team has found a way to kill these cells by
combining two harmless treatments - nanoshells
and infrared (heat) laser light which passes
harmlessly through normal tissue.
In today's Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, Dr West says her team designed the
nanoshells to absorb this particular frequency of
near-infrared light. The nanoshells warmed rapidly
so that they could be used selectively to "cook" and
kill tumours.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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