Nano-technology; Applications in Cancer Introduction n/a Potential market and financial implications n/a Treatment Nanotechnology is still in the early stages of development in most forms of cancer treatment, however there have undoubtedly been some interesting developments in this area. Some of the key areas that nanotechnology has been developing in regards to cancer treatment include the delivery of chemotherapy drugs to cancer cells, the use of a type of therapy known as photothermal therapy, advances in immunotherapy and an increase in the effectiveness of radiotherapy. One area that nanotechnology is being developed is in delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells. The company CytImmune has been developing a system that delivers a tumour killing agent called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) directly to tumours (Libutti et al., 2010). The agent is delivered to the tumours by gold nanoparticles which are able to stay hidden from the bodies immune system due to the presence of a substance known as polyethylene glycol (Mishra, Nayak & Dey, 2016). The combination of the nanoparticle and polyethylene glycol is called Aurmine (Velpurisiva, Gad, Piel, Jadia & Rai, 2017), and early data is promising, with a study by Vats, Singh, Siraj, Singh & Tandon in 2017 suggesting that Aurmine does limited damage to healthy cells but does target tumours. Cytimmune has finished its first phase of trials and is due to begin the second phase, testing this system alongside other traditional chemotherapy drugs (Vats, Singh, Siraj, Singh & Tandon, 2017). Another company, BIND Biosciences, has also concluded its first phase of trials on a form of targeted chemotherapy that delivers the chemotherapy drug directly to cancer cells (Bourzac, 2012). Photothermal therapy (PTT)is one of the most promising potential uses of nanotechnology for cancer treatment. As explained in a 2017 study by Riley & Day, photothermal therapy is a form of treatment which uses light radiation in order to kill specific cancer cells. Essentially, PTT works by embedding nanoparticles in cancer cells which then generate heat when a laser is applied to them Yao et al., 2016). PTT can be used as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with other treatments, and causes less damage to surrounding tissue than conventional approaches such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy (Bucharskaya et al., 2016) As reported by Hong, Choi & Shim in a 2016 study, another advantage of PTT is that it is a more targeted approach than other forms of therapy, as it works to destroy specific cancer cells. Immunotherapy is another area of cancer treatment involving nanotechnology. Immunotherapy essentially is a method of cancer treatment that involves stimulating the bodies immune system to help fight off cancer in the body (Blattman, 2004). Nanotechnology has been developing in this area in regards to the delivery of immunotherapy to cells. “The delivery of immunostimulatory agents to antitumor immune cells, such as dendritic or antigen presenting cells, may be a far more efficient tactic to eradicate tumors than delivery of conventional chemotherapeutic and cytotoxic drugs to cancer cells.” (Velpurisiva, Gad, Piel, Jadia & Rai, 2017, Abstract) While research into this area is still in its early stages, a recent study conducted by the Office of Cancer Nanotechnology Research at the National Cancer Institute concluded that nanotechnology has also been developing in the area of radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is currently one of the most common cancer treatments available, (DeSantis et al., 2014) and involves delivering high doses of radiation to cancer cells in order to damage their DNA (Bartek, 2002). One of the main drawbacks of radiotherapy is that the delivery of radiation to the body does not just damage cancer cells but also surrounding cells (West & Barnett, 2011). Developments in nanotechnology however, are helping to deliver radiation to cells while minimizing damage to surrounding cells (Mao, 2010). One such example of this is the use of high-Z atomic number nanoparticles to enhance the effects of radiation therapy in cancer cells (Hainfeld, Dilmanian, Slatkin & Smilowitz, 2008). Diagnosis One of the key potential areas of nanotechnology in regards to cancer diagnosis is in relation to CT and MRI scans. Traditionally, CT and MRI scans could detect tumours, but only after the tissue had altered substantially (Kang, Lee, Lee & Kim, 2012). Advances in nanotechnology however may be able to change this. Research is indicating that Metal oxide nanoparticles, which produce a strong signal on CT and MRI scans, can be coated with antibodies that bind to receptors more common in cancerous cells than in normal cells (Busquets, Estelrich & Sánchez-Martín, 2015). This would be useful as it would allow for earlier detection of tumours through these traditional techniques. Another area that nanotechnology has been developing in terms of cancer diagnosis is in regards to biopsy. A biopsy involves the analysis of a tissue sample for biomarkers of cancer. (Glenza, 2017). A technique currently used to detect biomarkers in a biopsy is fluorescent immunoassay (FIA), which involves using a fluorescent chemical to tag biomarkers in a biopsy (Liu et al., 2008). According to a Princeton University study, nanotechnology has been enhancing this technique. In 2012, Stephen Chou and his team developed a nanomaterial known as D2PA, which enhances the light of the fluorescant tag. According to the study this enhancement enables researchers to detect the cancer earlier, when the light would ordinarily be too weak to detect. (Zhou et al., 2012) Nanoshells are a type of nanoparticle that are being developed to help detect cancer. Antibodies can be attached to these nanoparticles in order to recognise and also target cancer cells. They are still in the early stages of development, but research shows that they are “10 thousand times more effective at Raman scattering than that of traditional methods.” (Jaishree & Gupta, 2012, Nanomaterials for Cancer Diagnosis) Traditional Techniques Of Combating Cancer Compared With Modern Nanotechnology Techniques n/a Associated Risks n/a Conclusion n/a References Zhou, L., Ding, F., Chen, H., Ding, W., Zhang, W., & Chou, S. (2012). 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