14 DAY TRIAL // Two research universities in the United States have just been awarded a $1.6 million (€1.2 million) grant from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the next 5 years. Over the next few years, research groups at these universities will investigate the possibility of using nanotechnology to accurately diagnose and treat prostate cancer.
The work will be carried out at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT-SMC). The studies will be led by associate professor of biomedical engineering Jian Yang, and distinguished chair in prostate cancer research Dr. John McConnell, respectively.
The primary goal of the investigation is to develop an alternative to chemotherapy, the most widely-used approach to treating cancer today. Unfortunately, while these drugs kill cancer cells in some cases, they also destroy healthy tissue, say experts from the American Association for Cancer Research.
The joint research groups hopes to use nanotechnology to eliminate the need for chemotherapy in various types of cancer. Their work will begin with prostate cancer, may may soon extend to other types of tumors as well