The application of titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, fullerene, and graphene nanoparticles in photodynamic therapy
AbstractNanoparticles (NPs) have been shown to have good ability to improve the targeting and delivery of therapeutics. In the field of photodynamic therapy (PDT), this targeting advantage of NPs could help ensure drug delivery at specific sites. Among the commonly reported NPs for PDT applications, NPs from zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and fullerene are commonly reported. In addition, graphene has also been reported to be used as NPs albeit being relatively new to this field. In this context, the present review is organized by these different NPs and contains numerous research works related to PDT applications. The effec...
Source: Cancer Nanotechnology - October 19, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Cancer characterization and diagnosis with SERS-encoded particles
AbstractEarly diagnosis, monitoring and treatment selection of cancer represent major challenges in medicine. The definition of the complex clinical and molecular landscape of cancer requires the combination of multiple techniques and the investigation of multiple targets. As a result, diagnosis is normally lengthy, expensive and, in many cases, cannot be performed recursively. In recent years, optical biosensors, especially those based on the unique properties of plasmonic nanostructures, have emerged as one of the most exciting tools in nanomedicine, capable of overcoming key limitations of classical techniques. In this ...
Source: Cancer Nanotechnology - October 18, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Platinum nanoparticles: an exquisite tool to overcome radioresistance
ConclusionsFinally, this study demonstrates the capacity of metallic nanoparticles to amplify radiation in radioresistant organisms, thus opening the perspective to use nanoparticles not only to improve tumour targeting but also to overcome radioresistance. (Source: Cancer Nanotechnology)
Source: Cancer Nanotechnology - July 11, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
An overview of current practice in external beam radiation oncology with consideration to potential benefits and challenges for nanotechnology
AbstractOver the past two decades, there has been a significant evolution in the technologies and techniques employed within the radiation oncology environment. Over the same period, extensive research into the use of nanotechnology in medicine has highlighted a range of potential benefits to its incorporation into clinical radiation oncology. This short communication describes key tools and techniques that have recently been introduced into specific stages of a patient ’s radiotherapy pathway, including diagnosis, external beam treatment and subsequent follow-up. At each pathway stage, consideration is given towards how...
Source: Cancer Nanotechnology - February 3, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Biological mechanisms of gold nanoparticle radiosensitization
Abstract There has been growing interest in the use of nanomaterials for a range of biomedical applications over the last number of years. In particular, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) possess a number of unique properties that make them ideal candidates as radiosensitizers on the basis of their strong photoelectric absorption coefficient and ease of synthesis. However, despite promising preclinical evidence in vitro supported by a limited amount of in vivo experiments, along with advances in mechanistic understanding, GNPs have not yet translated into the clinic. This may be due to disparity between predicted levels of radiose...
Source: Cancer Nanotechnology - February 2, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
A local effect model-based interpolation framework for experimental nanoparticle radiosensitisation data
AbstractA local effect model (LEM)-based framework capable of interpolating nanoparticle-enhanced photon-irradiated clonogenic cell survival fraction measurements as a function of nanoparticle concentration was developed and experimentally benchmarked for gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-doped bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) under superficial kilovoltage X-ray irradiation. For three different superficial kilovoltage X-ray spectra, the BAEC survival fraction response was predicted for two different AuNP concentrations and compared to experimental data. The ability of the developed framework to predict the cell survival frac...
Source: Cancer Nanotechnology - January 31, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
Application of nanotechnology to cancer radiotherapy
AbstractRadiotherapy has been an integral treatment modality for cancer. The field arose from and progressed through innovations in physics, engineering, and biology. The evolution of radiation oncology will rely on the continued adoption of advances from other fields. A new area of science that possesses the ability to impact radiation oncology is nanomedicine. Materials on the nanoscale provide many unique properties such as enhanced permeability and retention effect and superparamagnetism that are well suited for applications in radiation oncology. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive summary on how nanotechn...
Source: Cancer Nanotechnology - December 19, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research
