Light-driven nanoparticles to target tumors

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a new light-based nanotechnology that could improve how certain cancers are detected and treated, offering a more precise and potentially less harmful alternative to chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.

The study advances photothermal therapy, a treatment approach that uses light to generate heat inside tumors and destroy cancer cells. The NYU Abu Dhabi team designed tiny, biocompatible, and biodegradable nanoparticles that carry a dye activated by near-infrared light.

When exposed to this light, the particles heat up, damaging tumor tissue while minimizing harm to healthy cells. Near-infrared light was chosen specifically as it penetrates the body to greater depth than visible light, thereby enabling treatment of tumors that are not close to the surface.

A key challenge in photothermal therapy is keeping the light-responsive material stable in the body and efficiently delivering it to tumors. Many existing photothermal agents degrade quickly, clear from the bloodstream, or fail to enter cancer cells efficiently.

To address this, the researchers developed nanoparticles made from hydroxyapatite, a mineral found in bones and teeth. The particles are coated with lipids and polymers, which help them circulate longer in the bloodstream and avoid immune detection, allowing more of the therapeutic material to reach the tumors.

The particles also take advantage of the mildly acidic environment found in tumors. A peptide (a small protein) on their surface becomes active under these conditions, helping the nanoparticles efficiently enter cancer cells while largely avoiding healthy tissue. 

The researchers found that the nanoparticles are highly stable, effectively protect the dye cargo from degradation, and accumulate efficiently in tumors. Upon activation by near-infrared light, generate localized heat that destroys tumor tissue and produces fluorescent and thermal signals that allow tumors to be visualized and treatment effects to be monitored in real time.

This work brings together targeted treatment and imaging in a single, biocompatible and biodegradable system."

Mazin Magzoub, Study Senior Author and Associate Professor, Biology, NYU Abu Dhabi

By addressing key challenges in delivering therapeutic agents to tumors, our approach has the potential to improve cancer treatment precision. 

The findings highlight the promise of this nanoparticle as an integrated system for cancer diagnosis and therapy, and an important step toward safer, more effective light-based cancer treatments.