A research team headed by Dr. Xiao Yan Fat from Nano Med Tech based in Shanghai has developed a novel technique to create nanoparticles capable of acting like red blood cells.
According to the research team, the newly engineered nanoparticles are capable of delivering cancer-curing drugs straightway to a tumor site by deceiving the immune system of the body. As per the method, a red blood cell’s membrane is stripped off and wrapped as a mask around a biodegradable nanoparticle containing a specific dosage of molecular drugs.
Dr. Fat emphasized that cancerous cells have the tendency to quickly develop a resistance to medicines when they were supplied individually to the targeted spot. Here, the novel method allows delivering several medicines in a single nanoparticle, which is vital for killing cancerous cells.
Dr. Fat further said that red blood cells are capable of circulating in the body for nearly six months, thus allowing these masked nanoparticles to act like the same, while supplying specific doses of drugs to targeted locations. Fat added that these nanoparticles will never be under the attack of the immune system, as it cannot identify the presence of the particles. This novel drug delivery system is a revolution, Fat concluded.
Nano Med Tech, a biomedical research organization, works on nanotechnology-based human applications, especially in the cancer treatment field.
Source: http://www.nanomedtech-china.com