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Gold Beads Can Fight Cancer, Too

Posted by timothy on from the au-cut-that-out dept.

descil writes "In addition to the Reovirus story posted earlier, Health Central reports that nanoscopic gold-coated beads can be used to kill cancerous cells, while leaving other tissues undamaged. The researchers tested their technique on human breast cancer cells and on cancerous tumors grown on mice. In each case, the combination of nanoshells and near-infrared light caused irreversible heat damage to tumor cells while leaving surrounding tissue unharmed."

5 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. Comparison by Vaevictis666 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Looks like the two methods are about the same effectiveness (though the reovirus has been tested in more types of cancer) - but which one is cheaper? I'd wager the one that doesn't involve gold, and is self-replicating.

    1. Re:Comparison by bersl2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The amount of gold they're talking about is probably less than the amount in a computer. Nanoscopic gold isn't that incredibly expensive.

      (Warning: I did not RTFA.)

  2. Medical equivalent of walking on the moon... by bluethundr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Colloquially, the phrase "cure for cancer" is meant to say "he/she can do the impossible". Conversely, the phrase "if we can go to the moon, why can't we do 'x'..." is meant to imply that we can do anything, because what's more impossible than a man walking on the moon? Well, today there may be cause to celebrate what may be the medical equivalent of "walking on the moon".

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    Quod scripsi, scripsi.
  3. Somewhat misleading article by G4from128k · · Score: 4, Informative

    The article makes it sound like IR-illuminated nanoshells in normal tissue would not cause damage. But this is untrue. The nanoshells must somehow be delivered to the tumor where IR-illumination makes them hot and kills all the neighboring cells.

    The nanoshells are a good idea, but they do rely on some antibody/target/delivery mechanism to get the nanoshells into the right place. If the nanoshells migrate into the wrong location, they will kill healthy tissue.

    BTW, there are other cancer therapies based on migrate-and-kill strategies. Some use chemicals that are preferentially taken up by cancer cells that can be made extremely toxic when exposed to light.

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    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
  4. whoa guess I should've submitted this earlier! by snooo53 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Includes a link to the CNN story.

    my original comment to the ealier story

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    The sending of this message pretty much inconveniences everyone involved.