Nanomaterial found to reduce cancer stem cells in rats, Chinese study finds
- Scientists say they developed nanoparticles with good biocompatibility to target and eliminate the cells
- The treatment works by blocking the replication process of the cancer stem cells, according to co-author
Therapies that can selectively eliminate cancer cells mean less damage to a patient’s healthy cells. But existing treatments cannot specifically target cancer stem cells (CSCs), which can divide and renew – meaning they can duplicate or develop into other types of cancer cells.
And because of the rapid growth and fast mutation rate of active CSCs, conventional therapies cannot eliminate them.
The Chinese scientists said they had created nanoparticles with good biocompatibility in a bid to target and eliminate CSCs, and that the result of their trial on rats showed a significant reduction in CSC numbers.
The findings of the team – from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Key Laboratory of RNA Biology and the University of Science and Technology, Beijing – were published in the peer-reviewed journal Biomaterials on September 17.