This Cancer-Purging “Nano-Factory” Is Our Inside Man in Fight against Cancer
Sneaking past the enemy lines, this brave soldier is to protect us all (from cancerous tumors).
Yep, these anti-cancer drug dispensing Nano-Factories are designed to enter into tumor tissue, where they then begin producing cancer-fighting proteins from the inside. The technique was tested in both cell cultures and in mice, and found to be an effective treatment in both cases.
Just as human cells can generate a variety of biological molecules, this synthetic cell devised by researchers at the Technion too, can produce a wide range of proteins. Such systems bear vast potential in the tissue engineering discipline, in production of artificial organs and in studying the origins of life.
These microscopic machines are coded with the ability to sense biological tissue and then produce therapeutic proteins, dictated by an integrated synthetic DNA template. To sustain themselves, the particles extract energy and the necessary building blocks to function from the tumour tissue itself.
“By coding the integrated DNA template, the particles we developed can produce a variety of protein medicines,” said Assistant Professor Avi Schroeder, at the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion. “They are modular, meaning they allow for activation of protein production in accordance with the environmental conditions. Therefore, the artificial cells we’ve developed at the Technion may take an important part in the personalized medicine trend – adjustment of treatment to the genetic and medical profile of a specific patient.
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The study was also directed to animal testing with the engineered particles reached the tumor and producing a protein that eradicated the cancer cells. The particles and their activity were monitored using a green fluorescent protein (GFP), generated by the particles. This protein can be viewed in real-time, using a fluorescence microscope.
