Using nanotechnology, US scientists have developed a localised and controlled drug delivery method that is invisible to the immune system - a discovery that could provide newer and more effective treatments for cancer and other diseases.
The researchers used nanoscale polymer films, about four nanometers per layer, to build a sort of matrix or platform to hold and slowly release an anti-inflammatory drug. They then coated tiny chips with layers of the inert nanoscale films, providing what has been described as a ‘Harry Potter-like invisibility cloak’ for the chips, hiding them from the body’s natural defences.
Using the nanoscale film to deliver the drugs means that drugs could be released slowly and under control for weeks or longer, and may prove to be an effective approach for delivering multiple drugs and controlling the sequence of multi-drug delivery. The ability of the film to make chips ‘invisible’ to the body also means that this system could be used to provide more localised drug delivery which could limit side effects, particularly important in the case of chemotherapy drugs, without the body rejecting the implant and breaking down its functionality.
The study, published in the journal ACS Nano, provides an example of the enormous potential and clinical significance that nanomaterials may represent in such fields as oncology, endocrinology and cardiology.
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