Gold could become a weapon to destroy cancer cells

Gold nanoparticles could be used to release drugs inside tumors, increasing the effectiveness of cancer treatments.

Gold nanoparticles increase the effectiveness of cancer drugs. Photo: Fierce Biotech.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh, UK and colleagues at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, successfully used gold nanoparticles wrapped in a chemical device to increase the effectiveness of cancer drugs. The research results were published in the journal Angewandte Chemie in July 2017, according to Independent.

The team demonstrated that the device worked quite effectively after implanting it into the brain of a zebrafish. Although the device has not yet been tested on humans, the researchers hope that this approach will help reduce the side effects of current chemotherapy treatments, by precisely targeting diseased cells without damaging healthy tissue.

Gold is a safe element that can speed up chemical reactions. Scientists have discovered special properties of gold that allow catalytic reactions in living organisms without causing side effects.

"We discovered a new property of gold that was previously unknown. This metal helps to release drugs inside the tumor in a relatively safe way," said Asier Unciti-Broceta, a PhD student at the CRUK Edinburgh Centre at the University of Edinburgh.

The new approach could improve treatment of brain tumours and some other dangerous cancers, while reducing drug side effects, said Aine McCarthy, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK.

In the next step of the research, scientists will examine whether the method is safe to use in humans, as well as its short- and long-term side effects.

According to VNE