The study's results are presented in ACS Applied Nano Materials.
The Indian Institute of Science team has developed hybrid nanoparticles made of copper sulphide and gold that can kill cancer cells.
By creating a new technique to identify and eliminate cancer cells, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have made a significant advancement in the study of cancer.
The team has developed hybrid nanoparticles made of copper sulphide and gold that can heat up to kill cancer cells and generate sound waves to identify them.
In a paper that was published in ACS Applied Nano Materials, this novel strategy was described in full.
The photothermal, oxidative stress, and photoacoustic properties of the hybrid nanoparticles are present. These particles absorb light when exposed to it and produce heat, which effectively kills cancer cells. They also generate dangerous singlet oxygen atoms, which help to further destroy cancer cells.
These nanoparticles have therapeutic promise, but they also have diagnostic capabilities. They have the ability to both emit and absorb ultrasonic vibrations, making it possible to spot cancer cells with great contrast.
As sound waves scatter less than light when travelling through tissues, providing sharper images and more accurate measurements of oxygen saturation in tumours, this trait could improve the accuracy of cancer detection.
The IISc team’s invention addressed the huge size of earlier nanoparticles, which was a major drawback. The scientists were able to deposit microscopic gold seeds onto the copper sulphide surface using a novel reduction technique, resulting in hybrid nanoparticles that were less than 8 nm in size.
These tiny particles are small enough to naturally exit the human body without accumulating while simultaneously having the capacity to travel through tissues and reach tumours.
The nanoparticles have so far been examined in lab settings on lung and cervical cancer cell lines.
The IISc team’s next move will be to get these encouraging findings closer to clinical development, which would be a huge advancement in the fight against cancer.
