They are only a few nanometers in size, but their impact is tremendous: The
tiny particles drive cancer cells to their death in no time at all. At nano
tech 2006 in Japan from February 21 to 23 Fraunhofer researchers will demonstrate
in Hall 4 the great efficiency of nanoscopic particles as a vehicle for drug
delivery.
Medicines that will make their own way through the
body and attack precisely the diseased cells
on reaching their destination – such has been the
dream of physicians and pharmacists since time immemorial.
Fraunhofer researchers working in the Nanotechnology
Alliance have now come a little closer to reaching
this goal. They have developed bio-functional
nanoparticles that cause necrosis in cancer cells. “These
cell-like structures have a solid nucleus surrounded by proteins that detect
and destroy cancer cells,“ explains Dr. Günter Tovar of the Fraunhofer
Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB.
So how does it work? “Communication in the human body is a biochemical process
based on the exchange of molecules,“ says Tovar. “We are trying to understand
these communication processes and harness them for our own purposes.“ The tumor
necrosis factor TNF for instance, releases a molecule that attaches itself
to the receptors of the cancer cell and passes on its deadly message. To introduce
the biological messenger TNF into the body, Tovar and his colleagues at Stuttgart
University have developed bio-functional nanoparticles. Known as nanocytes®,
these carry TNF proteins on their surface. “In producing these particles, we
benefit from the self-organizing capability of the 'building blocks':
Once a contact has been established between the particles and the proteins,
the proteins grow and envelop the nuclei without any further effort on our
part,“ the researcher explains. Tovar tested the finished nanoparticles in
a Petri dish. His findings were most encouraging: cancer cells that came into
contact with the particles did indeed perish. The researchers documented this
process on video, and will be showing the film at the Fraunhofer stand at nano
tech 2006.
It will be a while before nanocytes® can be
used in the battle against cancer. First of all,
a great deal of time and effort must be invested
in clinical studies. But meanwhile the bio-functional
nanoparticles have already proved their mettle in
practical applications – as a tool for cell research
or as a component in reagents for medical analysis.
Dr. rer. nat. Günter Tovar
Phone: +49 711 970-4109
Fax: +49 711 970-4300
gto@igb.fraunhofer.de
Fraunhofer-Institut für Grenzflächen und Bioverfahrenstechnik
IGB
Nobelstraße 12
70569 Stuttgart
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