"Shaggy" nanospheres for cancer treatment
NUST MISIS scientists have created unique nanospheres for the treatment of oncological diseases
A group of scientists from NUST MISIS , led by Dmitry Shtansky, Professor of the Department of Powder Metallurgy and Functional Coatings, presented boron nitride nanospheres capable of effectively delivering drugs for the treatment of oncological diseases. The created technology will significantly increase the effectiveness of antitumor chemotherapy.
To date, oncological diseases are one of the main causes of mortality of the world's population. Scientists around the world continue to look for new methods of treatment, but the unresolved problem remains overcoming multidrug resistance – the immunity of tumor cells to a variety of different drugs. The drug either does not get to the tumor cell at all, or it comes to it, but it recognizes it and rejects it.
"NUST MISIS scientists have learned how to produce boron nitride nanospheres with a size of less than two hundred nanometers and have created a technology for saturating them with a drug. Thus, the researchers obtained a unique carrier substance capable of penetrating cancer cells due to its special structure, delivering medicine and blocking their vital activity," said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.
The secret of the created nanospheres lies in the so–called "shaggy" structure – multiple villi - graphene-like petals of boron nitride are located on the surface of the nanosphere. The total surface area increases due to this, and allows you to saturate the nanospheres with the necessary amount of medicine. In addition, the drug enters the nanospheres.
The effect of the drug is as follows: boron nitride nanoparticles with the drug are captured by tumor cells through membranes, after which the nanoparticles enter the cytoplasm and the cell nucleus, where the drug is released and its action begins.
"The advantage of boron nitride nanospheres lies in their morphology – inside the nanosphere there is a large cavity (up to 90 nanometers in diameter with a wall thickness of 10 nanometers), and outside there is a developed surface in the form of villi. Thanks to this structure, we managed to achieve increased absorption of the drug. In addition, nanospheres have an optimal size and shape, as well as chemical inertia – the drug is absolutely non-toxic. The use of our technology will significantly increase the effectiveness of antitumor chemotherapy," explained Irina Sukhorukova, an engineer at the Inorganic Nanomaterials laboratory at NUST MISIS.
Tests of nanocontainers with the drug in vitro have been successfully carried out at the Russian Cancer Research Center. Flea. Currently, researchers are developing a technology for targeted delivery of nanospheres with a drug to the affected organ.
The development has already been patented in Russia, ahead of obtaining a patent in the international system PTC (Patent Cooperation Treaty). The next stage of the project will be preclinical and clinical trials of the drug.
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05.07.2016