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Monday, 28th January 2008 (1831 views)

Modified gold nanoparticles could be used to detect cancer cells in vivo, new research suggests.

Scientists from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered that the attachment of organic dye molecules to the surface of gold nanoparticles can aid the detection of cancer cells.

These dye molecules absorb and emit light in the near-infrared region of the spectrum.

A nanometer-thick layer of polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added to the nanoparticles to render them biocompatible and which proved to strengthen the construct.

It was found that these coated gold nanoparticles could be developed into targeted in vivo imaging agents for cancer detection by chemically linking PEG to an antibody that binds to an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), found on tumours.

These targeted nanoparticles were then injected into mice with (EGFR)-positive human head and neck carcinomas, while another group of mice were injected with a non-targeted nanoparticle, reports nanotechwire.com.

Only the targeted nanoparticles were found to accumulate in tumours, while the non-targeted nanoparticles accumulated in the liver.

In related news, gold nanoparticles could be used to support the development of electrical circuits on a nanoscale, according to a new report in Chemical Science magazine.

 

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