Oct 18, 2010 13:44 GMT  ·  By

A team of investigators in the United States is currently developing an interdisciplinary method of diagnosing and treating pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer out there.

The group is researching and engineering a new type of nanoscale particle, that is able to convert light into heat, therefore heating up cancer tumors from within until individual cells start dying off.

“Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, and we hope nanoparticle-based 'theranostics' can change that,” explains scientist Naomi Halas.

She is the director of the Rice University Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP), and also the Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the university.

She also holds an appointment as s professor of chemistry and biomedical engineering at Rice.

LANP experts are working together with colleagues from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) Radiology Department for this study.

The group secured funds through an Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer program, which was awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The new, pre-clinical testing program will be sponsored over a period of five years, and will have an estimated total cost of $1.8 milliom.

“Our nanoparticles are designed to specifically target cancer cells and to function as both diagnostic and therapeutic agents,” Halas explains.

The expert is also the inventor of gold nanoshells, nanoscale particles that can absorb light and release heat in exchange. They form the basis of the new approach, the research team explains.

“A seamless integration of multiple imaging and therapeutic technologies within a single nanoparticle is required to tackle diseases like pancreatic cancer, which often resist conventional therapies,” explains Amit Joshi.

He is an assistant professor of radiology at the BCM, and also a co-principal investigator on the new grant.

“Nanoparticle-based theranostics holds great promise, not only for treating pancreatic cancer, but for treating other forms of cancer as well,” Halas goes on to say.

“But successfully translating new technology like this from the lab to the clinic requires excellent research partnerships, like those we have at Baylor College of Medicine and MD Anderson,” she adds.