Nanotechnology will be sent to fight cancer

Sergey Khurbatov, The Day before.RU, 18.02.2009

A new technology for the treatment of cancerous tumors using nanoparticles is presented in Yekaterinburg. The method only at first glance is somewhere beyond the realm of fiction, because in the near future Ural scientists will be able to conduct clinical trials on humans. The head of the Rosnanotech state Corporation did not hide his admiration for medical developments in oncology – today, after visiting the nanotechnology exhibition in Yekaterinburg, he admitted: "This is an amazing thing." Now it will be possible not just to deliver the medicine to the diseased organ or tissue, but to "address" it to the affected cell. What's the secret – in an interview the day before.Chairman of the Board of Directors of the medical holding "Juno", Chairman of the Board of directors of the plant "Medsintez" Alexander Petrov told RU.

Question: Alexander Petrovich, tell us what developments you presented at the nanotechnology exhibition?

Alexander Petrov: Two types of developments are presented here. One group of developments was carried out jointly by the Institute of Metal Physics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IFM) and the Medsintez plant. IFM proposed, based on the special magnetic properties of a number of metals, to create new structures for the purpose of diagnosing cancerous tumors, and at the second stage, using special lasers, to create a heating zone at which we get the effect of treating the tumor.

The second group of developments was carried out with the Russian Metallurgical Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, we are talking about new nanopreparations of the antitumor group. We are already building a workshop for the production of antitumor drugs, and there we will need to create only a nanoscale in order to change the properties and structure of these drugs.

When the drug changes its shape and properties, the dose is reduced tenfold, side effects are sharply reduced, at the same time, the clinical therapeutic effect is preserved for this type of drug and for this type of tumor. The tumor is treated as effectively as with conventional drugs today. These are completely new drugs that you and I have not seen yet. We can talk about this as fiction, but this fiction has already been tested on animals, we are conducting research, and I am sure in two or three years it will be introduced into industrial production.

Question: We know that Rosnanotech State Corporation is very interested in this project…

Alexander Petrov: Yes, it's with Chubais (Anatoly Chubais, head of Rosnanotech Group, – approx.) we have just discussed it, they are extremely interested in this project. A group of experts from Rosnanotech State Corporation came to our plant a week ago and, God willing, we will be able to become good partners with them.

Question: How much is the project estimated?

Alexander Petrov: The project is estimated at 6 billion rubles, but regardless of whether someone comes to us as a partner or not, the Medsintez plant will implement this project, it is in our industrial program. It's just that without partners, it will be implemented a little longer in time, and with partners – a little faster.

Question: When can we expect to conduct tests already on humans?

Alexander Petrov: In order to conduct tests on people and be sure that we will not harm them, even if they are volunteers, it takes another year and a half. "Do no harm" is our first principle. As soon as we are sure of everything, we will proceed to clinical trials.

Question: And what animals are currently being tested for drugs, are there any side effects, undesirable effects?

Alexander Petrov: Usually tests are carried out on mice, rats, guinea pigs, up to five groups of animals are taken, the largest ones are dogs or monkeys. The results are very positive. If we talk about side effects, we immediately assumed that they were practically impossible. It can be seen that the concentration of these metals in the tumor is eight times higher than in neighboring tissues, healthy cells, this just indicates the targeted delivery of the drug. And, then, laser irradiation is harmless to living tissue, at the same time, the local heating zone of cancer cells gives the effect of destruction – the usual thermal effect. It was possible to predict the result with a fairly high probability, but we still need to make sure.

Question: Tell us more about targeted delivery, how is it made?

Alexander Petrov: In the usual way – since the properties of the cancer cell are taken into account, therefore the drug "independently" concentrates there, metal isotopes are captured in this particular tumor.

Question: What are the fundamental differences between this method of treatment and those that are used now?

Alexander Petrov: There is simply no such type of treatment now. After all, if you produce a thermal burn, it will heal like a normal thermal burn. In the case of using the new technology, a metal nanoparticle is located in the cancer cell. When the particles are heated with an isotope and the temperature rises sharply in this local zone, cancer cells die.

Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru19.02.2009