New Delhi, October 24 (IANS). Australian scientists have developed a new and potentially safe technology towards the treatment of cancer. The team has created microscopic metal particles that can destroy cancer cells. This discovery is being considered a big step towards making cancer treatment more accurate and less harmful.
According to the report of Xinhua news agency, this study by Australia-based Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) is still in its initial stage and research in the laboratory has been done only on cells. It has not yet been tested on animals or humans. The research results show that scientists can now develop new strategies to defeat cancer by exploiting its weaknesses.
An international team led by RMIT has prepared these microscopic particles, which are called nanodots. These nanodots are made from a compound called molybdenum oxide. Molybdenum is a rare metal often used in electronics and alloys. By changing the chemical structure of these particles, scientists prepared them in such a way that they can release reactive oxygen molecules. This is an unstable form of oxygen which damages cancer cells and forces them to self-destruct.
According to the study published in the journal Advanced Science, these nanodots killed cervical cancer cells three times more effectively than healthy cells in just 24 hours in laboratory tests. The special thing is that no light was required in this process. Generally, techniques that are based on oxidation require light, but this new technique showed the effect without any external energy source.
“Cancer cells are already under more stress than normal cells,” said Zhang Baoyue, a researcher at RMIT’s School of Engineering and lead author of the study. With the help of these nanodots, this tension increases a little more, due to which the cancer cells destroy themselves. Healthy cells, on the other hand, tolerate this additional stress and do not suffer any serious damage.”
“These particles cause oxidative stress only in cancer cells, making them work more precisely and safely,” Zhang said.
Researchers say that so far most cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation, harm both cancer and healthy cells. Due to this, patients have to face problems like fatigue, hair fall, weakness etc. But this new technology selectively damages cancer cells, making treatment safer and more effective.
Another important aspect is that these nanodots are not made of expensive or toxic metals. Rather, they have been prepared from common and cheap metal oxide. This will reduce the cost of their development and production and will increase the possibility of using them widely in the future.
–IANS
PK/AS