Oregon State University researchers have engineered a new nanomaterial from iron that kills cancer cells inside tumors and leaves normal cells unaffected. This new nanomaterial works by triggering two chemical reactions inside tumors and the cancer cells die off as a result of these reactions.
In a study that appeared in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, the scientists explain that the novel nanomaterial initiates two different chemical reactions that cause oxidative stress to kill cancer cells from the inside. Their work advances the field of chemodynamic therapy, also known as CDT. This field seeks to leverage the unique microenvironment inside tumors by altering the conditions that cancer cells thrive in in order to kill them off by denying the cells that desirable microenvironment.
Oleh Taratula, who led the research team, explains that cancer cells have elevated hydrogen peroxide levels and higher acidity, unlike normal cells. Traditional CDT approaches create hydroxyl radicals geared at damaging tumor cells by triggering oxidative stress. However, those existing CDT therapies have limited efficacy, because they don’t have enough catalytic capacity to sustain the formation of the reactive oxygen species needed to kill cancer cells over a long period of time.
Additionally, the existing CDT therapies only trigger hydroxyl radicals but not singlet oxygen molecules (another reactive oxygen species). The new iron nanoparticle addresses this limitation since it creates both types of oxidative stressors and has ample catalytic capacity to sustain the production of these reactive species.
In tests conducted on mice, the researchers observed total regression of tumors and the nanoparticles continued triggering the chemical reactions that proved fatal to cancer cells for such a long time that the cancer couldn’t regrow.
These benefits were observed alongside the added bonus that healthy tissue didn’t exhibit signs of toxicity. This suggests that the treatment only affects cancerous tissues and leaves healthy cells unaffected. The tests involved several lines of human breast cancer. The researchers now want to test their nanomaterial on a variety of cancer types to see whether the treatment is potentially applicable to all forms of cancer before proceeding to conduct clinical trials involving human subjects.
If this method that leverages chemical reactions to cause cancer cell destruction by robbing those cells of the oxygen they need in their lipids, DNA and proteins proves successful, it could mark a major milestone in the fight against cancer given the minimal to no effects that it has on healthy tissues.
If successful, the team will win the applause of other teams at companies like Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI) that are also working on other novel ways to fight cancer, such as through the use of oncolytic virus therapies.
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