Thursday, October 24, 2013

Combining heat and chemo-delivering nanoparticles helps target resisting cells

A new study conducted in Oregon shows that combining both heat and nanoparticles delivers chemotherapy drugs in a more effective way. Researches have used heat in the equation before, but have now found a way to combine the temperature with the targeted particles. This new formula is able to delivery the drug to cells that have otherwise been resistant to the therapy.

In work reported in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, researchers used iron oxide nanoparticles coated with the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin and heated the compound once it was embedded in cancer cells, noting that it killed up to 95% of them in early lab tests, with room to improve, the scientists hope. The nanoparticle aspect of the method gets around the difficulty of heating just the cancer cells, as opposed to surrounding ones, by targeting them first with a peptide and then heating the particles with the use of a magnetic field.

This new method of delivery will allow patients to receive a lower dose of toxic drugs and also help decrease side effects. What other types of disease could benefit from this type of treatment? Want to learn more about the future of drug delivery?

IIR's 18th Annual Drug Delivery Partnerships will help you form a drug delivery strategy that keeps you ahead of the market, register today! As a reader of this blog you'll receive $100 off of the standard rate when you use priority code XP1978BLOG to register. To learn more, download our agenda. We hope to see you January 27-29 in Boca Raton!

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