Cancer

Nano Technology Cure For CancerThis is a space opera scene we know by heart: the hero faces off against huge ships enemy small craft. Now scale down the set a billion times or so, and replace Luke Skywalker's X-wing and the Death Star with a clump of drug-bearing molecules and a misshapen cancer cell. Now set the scale down a billion times or so, and replacing Luke Skywalker X-Wing and the impact of drug molecules and a clump of cancer cell death by an ugly star.
Ka-BOOM! The - Boom!
This scenario - from a National Cancer Institute video - is just one possibility offered by the burgeoning field of cancer nanotechnology, where miniscule molecules are designed with literally atomic precision to combat a disease that kills half a million Americans every year. - The National Cancer Institute Video from the scene one - just one million Americans every year by the possibility of offering a growing field of cancer nanotechnology are designed molecule, where the miniscule hits with a truly atomic precision that one half to combat disease For.
"It's 21st-century medicine," said Vicki Colvin of Rice University's Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology. ", Rice University's Vicki Colvin Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology said it is 21st century medicine." "It sits at the intersection of some of the greatest achievements in many different areas of science, from material science to cell biology to physics and advances in imaging." "The greatest achievements of science in many different areas, some of the square sits, from materials science to cell biology to physics and advances in imaging."
Indeed, the National Cancer Institute, which recently announced two waves of funding for nanotech training and research, sees nanotechnology as vital to its stated goal of "eliminating suffering and death from cancer by 2015." In fact, the National Cancer Institute, who recently Nanotech announced financing for the two waves of training and research, sees death and suffering from cancer by 2015 as the goal of eliminating Nano "is important to say its. "
To anyone familiar with the long, often fruitless search for cancer's cure, or the unfulfilled promise of nanotechnology, this may seem far-fetched. Long, often cancer, or the unfulfilled promise of nanotechnology with the fruitless search for a familiar, it may seem far-fetched. But in recent years, scientists have learned more about how cancer works at the cellular level. But in recent years, scientists more about the cancer works at the cellular level skills. They have also learned to build molecules that could detect and destroy cancer cells, making today's painful and often-ineffective treatments a thing of the past. They also detect molecules and can destroy cancer cells have learned to build, today's painful and often ineffective treatments - is talking of the past.
Though the jump from lab to patient is long, scientists are confident that it can be made. From the lab to the patient's long jump, scientists believe that it can be made.
"Developing any drug or diagnostic is a long process, and that's still going to be the case," said Greg Downing, director of the Office of Technology and Industrial Relations at the National Cancer Institute. , Greg Downing, technology and industrial relations director of the Office of the National Cancer Institute, said "any drug or diagnostic development is a long process, and that's still going to be the case." "But these technologies have the potential to overcome challenges we can't overcome now." "But these technologies can overcome the challenge we now have the ability to overcome."
The technologies now being developed are not the complex miniature machines usually associated with nanotechnology, but particles a few nanometers wide. Technologies now being developed complex miniature machines are not usually associated with nanotechnology, but a few nanometers wide particle. (As a point of reference, the average human hair is about 100,000 nanometers wide, and a red blood cell is 4,000 nanometers in diameter.) (As a point of reference, the average human hair is about 100000 nanometers wide, and red blood cell is 4000 nanometers in diameter.)
The first cancer nanotech applications will likely involve detection. Possibility of earlier detection of cancer will involve Nanotech applications. Nanoparticles could recognize cancer's molecular signatures, gathering the proteins produced by cancerous cells or signaling the presence of telltale genetic changes. Nanoparticles cancer molecular signatures identify telltale genetic changes indicate the presence of cancer cells or proteins produced by the House is. Researchers have already used a protein called albumin - considered a naturally occurring nanoparticle - to detect proteins found in ovarian cancer tissue. Researchers already have used a protein called albumin - nanoparticle considered a naturally occurring - for the detection of proteins found in ovarian cancer cells.
Other nanoparticles could adhere to cancerous cells and, when viewed under a magnetic resonance imager or fluorescent light, reveal cancers now hidden to our eyes. Other nanoparticles to cancer cells and can follow when one magnetic resonance imager, or viewed in fluorescent light, our eyes reveal hidden to cancer.
"Nanotech gives us the opportunity to detect cancer tumors at 1,000 cells, whereas we're now seeing them at 1 million cells. By the time you detect some cancers today, there's no option of curing them, only of prolonging life," said Sri Sridhar, director of Northeastern University's Nanomedicine Science and Technology Program. Mr. said, "We Nanotech 1,000 cells for detection of cancerous tumors provides the opportunity while we are now 1 million cells time to see them today, you detect some cancers, there, life prolonging treatment is no substitute for them. " Sridhar, Northeastern University's nanomedicine program director of science and technology.
While diagnostic nanoparticles will first be used to analyze blood or tissue samples outside the body, they could eventually be injected into the bloodstream (making it possible to also design particles that will be flushed from the patient unless they stick to cancer cells). Clinical nanoparticles outside the body before the blood or tissue samples will be analyzed, they can be injected into the blood (it is also possible that the patient will be flushed from the particles to design the cancer cells until they stick) is making. But nanoparticles can be made not only to find those cells, but to destroy them. But nanoparticles only to find those cells, could be built but not destroy them.
One such application involves metallic molecules that adhere to cancer cells and can then be heated with microwaves, a magnetic field or infrared light, destroying the tumor while leaving surrounding tissues unharmed. One such application that cancer cells adhere to the metal atoms and microwave, or a magnetic field can be heated with infrared light, destroy the tumor going to damage surrounding tissue is involved. Researchers at Rice University have done just this with gold-coated particles and breast cancer tissue cultures. Rice University researchers have done just that in cultures coated with gold particles and breast cancer tissue.