Nano-sized ’smart-bomb’ to tackle cancer
By mixing nanomaterials that act as fuel and oxidizer, researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC) and the US Army have created a combustible nano-sized ‘smart-bomb’ that is hoped will be able to target drug delivery to cancer cells, and leave healthy cells unharmed.
Speaking to PhysOrg.com, Shubhra Gangopadhyay, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UMC, explained: “Nano-engineered thermites can produce shock waves, and their properties are similar to some primary lead-based explosives. Hence these materials may be able to replace lead-based primary explosives. We are also able to integrate this material with micro-chip technology and produce shock waves using these compact micro-chip systems. This micro system has many applications in defence, as well as in life sciences, such as targeted drug and gene delivery.”
The combustion was tested in a shock tube studded with optical fibers and pressure sensors to measure the combustion wave speed. Researchers found that the nano composites could generate combustion waves with velocities ranging from 1500 to 2300 meters per second, which is in the Mach 3 range.
The power of these nano explosives could lead to a breakthrough in drug delivery for cancer and HIV. First, drugs would be administered with a needle as usual, dispersing through the entire body. But then a hand-held device aimed at the tumor would send a pulse into the tumor. The shock waves created by the pulse would make tiny holes in the cells it was aimed at, allowing the drug to enter the tumor cells. The force of the shock waves would push the drugs to those cells within milliseconds.
The researchers have tested the method on animal tissue, and have demonstrated a 99 per cent success rate – almost all of the cells have properly accepted the drugs. Healthy cells, on the other hand, demonstrate much fewer side effects than with conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. As Gangopadhyay explains, the nano explosives have some different characteristics than conventional explosives.
“In conventional explosives, shock waves are generated during detonation. In nanothermites, fast propagating chemical reactions can create shock waves without detonation.” Generating shock waves without detonation is the key to this technology, she says.
If everything goes well, the researchers hope to have the device ready to use in two to five years.
The study is published in a recent issue of Applied Physics Letters.
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