Killer 'sticky balls' may stop cancer spreading

  • 9 years ago
Originally published on January 7, 2014

Scientists at Cornell University in the U.S. have created cancer-killing nanoparticles that can destroy metastasizing cancer cells in the blood.

About 90 percent of cancer deaths are related to metastasis, when cancer cells spread from the tumor to other parts of the body.

The scientists attached a cancer-killing protein known as TRAIL and an adhesive protein called E-selectin to nanoparticles.

When the nanoparticles were injected into human blood samples and mice, they stuck to white blood cells.

These TRAIL-carrying white blood cells would inevitably come into contact with any metastatic cancer cells in the blood system and cause apoptosis, or cancer cell death.

The scientists say more safety testing is needed in animals before a human trial can be conducted.

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