Smart nanoparticles light up brain cancer and destroy what surgery misses
Scientists have developed a 'double-punch' nanozyme platform using smart nanoparticles to treat glioblastoma. The system helps surgeons visualize tumor cells during surgery and then performs targeted phototherapy to destroy remaining cancer cells.
Why it matters
This technology addresses the high mortality rate of aggressive brain cancers by improving surgical precision and overcoming the blood-brain barrier.
Glioblastoma is considered the most aggressive type of brain cancer.
One reason it is so difficult to treat is that cancer cells spread into nearby brain tissue. That makes complete surgical removal extremely challenging because surgeons must avoid damaging healthy areas of the brain. The blood-brain barrier creates another obstacle by restricting how effectively drugs and radiotherapy can reach the tumor. Together, these challenges help explain why the five-year survival rate is only about 7 percent.
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Harvard and Henan universities have developed a 'double-punch' nanozyme platform that aims to tackle both problems using a single system of smart nanoparticles. The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine.
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