Gold nanoparticles for targeted cancer treatment
Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 09:00
in Biology & Nature
The use of tiny drug-loaded nanocarriers for the safe, targeted delivery of drugs to designated parts of the body has received much press in recent years. Human trials of nanocarriers targeting pancreatic cancer tumors, for example, have now reached phase three in a number of countries. The nanocarriers themselves are formed from self-assembling polymers, or micelles, created around a core which contains the drug. It is crucial to create micelles that are structurally robust, because they are easily affected by their surroundings en route through the body.