In experiments in cell culture and in mice, adding the ability
to target nanotech cancer therapy to the mitochondria within
cancer cells renders the treatment more effective. One of the
drugs made more effective may help to overcome the multiple drug
resistance that develops in many tumors. From Nanowerk News
“Targeting nanoparticles to specific locations inside cancer
cells increases kills“: The ability to target nanoparticles to
specific types of cancer cells is one of the main reasons that
nanoparticles have gained favor as a promising drug delivery
vehicle. By increasing the amount of an anticancer agent that
gets to tumor cells, as opposed to healthy cells, researchers
hope to minimize the potential side effects of therapy while
maximizing therapeutic response. Now, a team of investigators at
Northeastern University has taken this approach one step farther
by targeting the specific location inside a tumor cell, where
the drug ceramide exerts its cell-killing activity. Reporting
its work in the journal Na