NCSU Researchers Use "Nanodaisies" To Deliver Drug Cocktail
Researchers in the biomedical engineering field at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a new delivery system for a “cocktail” of anti-cancer drugs. The two universities, which share a biomedical engineering program, developed nanoscale structures that are shaped like a daisy. These structures are able to deliver anti-cancer drugs effectively and quickly, particularly when being used to treat lung cancer. However, the structures were also tested on various other cancer cell lines.
Dr. Zhen Gu, senior author of the paper and an assistant professor at the schools’ biomedical engineering program, says that this new delivery system could be used to treat a variety of cancers. “We found that this technique was much better than conventional drug-delivery techniques at inhibiting the growth of lung cancer tumors in mice,” he said. “And based on in vitro tests in nine different cell lines, the technique is also promising for use against leukemia, breast, prostate, liver, ovarian, and brain cancers.”
The researchers outlined the process of creating nanodaisies. The researchers first used a solution containing polyethylene glycol, or PEG. The PEG creates long strands, all of which have shorter strands branching off on either side. The researchers linked the anti-cancer drug camptothecin, or CPT, to the shorter strands. They also placed the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) into the solution. The CPT and Dox cluster together, creating a daisy shaped nanostructure which is only 50 nanometers in diameter. These structures are then injected into the cancer patient, where they move through the blood until they are absorbed by cancer cells.
Dr. Wanyi Tai, another researcher involved in the study, said that both of the drugs attack the nucleus of the cancer cells, but through different mechanisms. Gu also reiterated that the combination of drugs was stronger than either drug being used alone. He added that the program was hoping to begin pre-clinical testing on the technique in the upcoming months.