Nature Nanotechnology: nanorobots against bladder cancer developed
Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia have developed urea-powered nanorobots that successfully reduced the size of bladder cancer tumors in mice by 90 percent. Research results published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Nanomachines are porous spheres of silica, on the surface of which there are various molecules, for example, the enzyme urease. Urease is a protein that breaks down urea, and the released energy is used to move nanoparticles. Another important component is radioactive iodine, which is used to treat tumors.
In a previous study, scientists confirmed that the nanorobots' ability to self-propel allows them to reach all the walls of the bladder. This feature has an advantage over the current procedure, in which, after injecting the drug directly into the bladder, the patient must change position every half hour to ensure the drug reaches all the walls.
In the new work, the researchers found that nanorobots not only reached the tumor, but also penetrated it, enhancing the effect of the radiopharmaceutical. However, they did not have specific antibodies to recognize cancer cells. It turned out that nanorobots can destroy the extracellular matrix (structures surrounding cells) of a tumor, locally increasing alkalinity, which contributed to their accumulation in pathological tissues.
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