Remote-controlled magnetic nanoparticles improve efficiency and reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy.

Our advanced systems for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Montreal, working under the direction of Professor SylvainMartel (Sylvain Martel), successfully delivered anticancer drug-loaded nanoparticles in the hepatic artery of rabbit in the affected area of his liver tumor.This experiment demonstrated the ability to remotely control the movement of carrier nanoparticles in vivo. Due to the sighting of drug delivery, this method will significantly improve the treatment of various, especially malignant tumors, as well as reduce the likelihood and severity of side effects.

Увеличить
Left: The Navigation of the hepatic artery using magnetic resonance. Right: liverobtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Blue dots - magnetic nanonositeli, + - a molecule anticancer drug; black spots -magnetic nanoparticles, outlined in red oval - the affected area of the liver, redtube - a catheter through which the introduced nanoparticles.

Developed by the authors remotely controlled nanoparticles are biodegradable polymer carriers of 50 micrometers in diameter, filled with chemotherapy drugs(doxorubicin, in this case) and the smallest magnetic nanoparticles. Thesenanomagnets and allowed researchers to accurately deliver a rabbit entered the bloodstream therapeutic nanoparticles in the tumor, which began actively releasethe drug.

Currently, the authors are working on adapting their proposed method for use in clinical practice.

Source