Scientists at the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) have
developed a new gene therapy that could have the potential to
save the lives of children with a life threatening tumour called
neuroblastoma. The technique, which uses novel tumour-homing
nanoparticles has proved to be effective in a first stage trial
in which researchers successfully targeted the tumours in a
mouse model. The details of the study are published online today
in the international journal Biomaterials. Stephen Hart, reader
in molecular genetics at the ICH, explains: “It has long been a
major technical challenge for medical researchers to use gene
therapy to target this type of tumour, particularly when the
cancer has spread. Now with the development of these novel
nanoparticles in our laboratory, we’ve been able to deliver the
genes to where they are needed, via an intravenous injection.”
Neuroblastoma is one of the most aggressive malignancies,
affecting around 100 children each year in Britain. New
treatments are urgently needed to tac