Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Nanoparticles Unlock Tumor Identity

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Abstract:
Using nanoparticles designed to recognize specific sugar-binding molecules on the surfaces of cells, a team of investigators at Michigan State University has developed a process that uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to unlock the sugar-based code that identifies different types of cancer and normal cells. This work, led by Xuefei Huang, Ph.D., was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Nanoparticles Unlock Tumor Identity

Bethesda, MD | Posted on March 22nd, 2010

The investigators began their study by synthesizing a collection of magnetic nanoparticles, each coated with a different type of sugar. All mammalian cells contain a collection of sugar-binding receptors, known as lectins, on their surfaces, and each lectin has a characteristic affinity for one or more sugars. By using multiple nanoparticles, each coated with a different sugar, Dr. Huang's team was able to identify a sugar-binding signature that was characteristic of specific types of cells. Because the nanoparticles are strongly magnetic, they are readily imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with each nanoparticle generating a well-differentiated MRI signal.

With five different sugar-coated magnetic nanoparticles in hand, the researchers tested their ability to discriminate among 10 different types of cells. Using a mathematical method known as linear discriminant analysis, the investigators showed that they could readily identify all 10 cell types through an analysis of the combined MRI signals produced by each nanoparticle. Not only was this method able to distinguish between malignant and normal cells, but between closely related cancer cells that are indistinguishable based on a qualitative analysis of their sugar or protein composition.

This work is detailed in a paper titled, "Magnetic Glyco-Nanoparticles: A Tool to Detect, Differentiate, and Unlock the Glyco-Codes of Cancer via Magnetic Resonance Imaging." An abstract of this paper is available at the journal's Web site.

View abstract: pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja100455c

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To help meet the goal of reducing the burden of cancer, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, is engaged in efforts to harness the power of nanotechnology to radically change the way we diagnose, treat and prevent cancer.

The NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer is a comprehensive, systematized initiative encompassing the public and private sectors, designed to accelerate the application of the best capabilities of nanotechnology to cancer.

Currently, scientists are limited in their ability to turn promising molecular discoveries into benefits for cancer patients. Nanotechnology can provide the technical power and tools that will enable those developing new diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventives to keep pace with today’s explosion in knowledge.

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