‘Fantasic Voyage’: Teeny nanoworms seek out cancer cells

Now this is the kind of technology that shows promise for tracking down cancer cells and killing them without killing the patient: iron oxide nanoworms.

From the University of California at San Diego:

Using nanoworms, doctors should eventually be able to target and reveal the location of developing tumors that are too small to detect by conventional methods. Carrying payloads targeted to specific features on tumors, these microscopic vehicles could also one day provide the means to more effectively deliver toxic anti-cancer drugs to specific tumors, organs and other sites in the body, in high concentrations without negatively impacting other parts of the body.

OK, let’s get to that second step, killing the cancer.

Frank Warner

Comments

[Joseph]

This new technology is fascinating, Frank. These F3 peptide-coated nanoworms that attach to a tumor's surface may not only bring about faster detection methods, but actually deliver beneficial drugs to destroy the tumor as well. This may be a vast improvement over Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, which can produce radiation necrosis, infection or bleeding. It will be interesting to see how this new discovery develops over time. Joseph.