Researchers have developed tiny silica nanoparticles that can directly destroy prostate tumors while also awakening the body's immune system to fight cancer, according to a new preclinical study led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering. In mouse models of aggressive prostate cancer, the targeted particles produced several complete tumor remissions, offering encouraging evidence that the approach could eventually advance to human clinical trials.
Made from amorphous silica, a form of silicon dioxide found naturally in foods and the fossilized remains of microscopic organisms, the engineered nanoparticles appear to attack prostate cancer in multiple ways at once.
Tiny nanoparticles with a dual cancer fighting strategy
The nanoparticles, known as ultrasmall fluorescent core shell silica nanoparticles or Cornell Prime dots (C' dots), were originally created to improve medical imaging. They have already advanced into late stage clinical trials for image guided surgery and other therapeutic uses.
More recently, researchers discovered that the particles themselves can selectively damage cancer cells while leaving healthy cells largely unharmed.
