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Nanotech Trojan Horse That Kills Cancer

An anonymous reader writes "University of Michigan scientists have created the nanotechnology equivalent of a Trojan horse to smuggle a powerful chemotherapeutic drug inside tumor cells - increasing the drug's cancer-killing activity and reducing its toxic side effects." From the article: "The drug delivery vehicle used by U-M scientists is a manmade polymer molecule called a dendrimer. Less than five nanometers in diameter, these dendrimers are small enough to slip through tiny openings in cell membranes. One nanometer equals one-billionth of a meter, which means it would take 100,000 nanometers lined up side-by-side to equal the diameter of a human hair."

1 of 276 comments (clear)

  1. Have not yet RTFA, by Mac+Degger · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ...but what a crap blurb. At least make some mention of how the fsck this polymer does it's targeting of cancer cells. Or does it release the poison indiscriminately?

    Hohum...off to RTFA.

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    -- Waht? Tehr's a preveiw buottn?