There is a potential breakthrough in cancer treatment with the development of nanorobots designed to navigate through the bloodstream, demonstrating the capability to decrease cancerous tumors in the bladder by 90 percent.
Scientists in Barcelona achieved this advancement by creating minute robots measuring 450 nanometers, capable of delivering therapeutic agents directly to the tumor.
Bladder cancer is a prevalent form of cancer in men, and despite its relatively low mortality rate, the challenge lies in the high recurrence rate, with nearly all tumors reappearing within a five-year timeframe.
In an experiment conducted on mice, scientists demonstrated that the miniature devices have the potential to obviate the necessity for multiple tumor treatments by achieving substantial tumor reduction in a single attempt.
Current approaches to treating bladder cancer typically involve surgical procedures and chemotherapy, incurring costs exceeding $65,000.
This expense arises from the requirement for patients to undergo six to four hospital visits before witnessing significant tumor reduction.
Conducted by researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and CIC biomaGUNE, in collaboration with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the study involved nanorobots with a diameter of 450 nanometers, necessitating a 20 million times magnification to visualize.
The robots were coated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on their surfaces, enabling researchers to observe their movement through the bloodstream and their targeted attack on tumors.
Gold Nanorobots Target Bladder Cancer in Mice
Upon injection into the bloodstream of mice with bladder cancer, the gold-colored nanorobots navigated through the body, reaching the tumor.
These nanomachines featured a silica sphere containing various components, including the enzyme urease and radioactive iodine.
Urease reacted with urea in urine, propelling the nanorobot, while the radioactive iodine served as the treatment for cancer.
The research team observed that the nanorobot altered the pH balance near the tumor, breaking down its extracellular matrix, a contributing factor to the mechanical properties of tissues.
Upon reaching the tumor, the nanorobots encountered resistance akin to a wall in the urinary tract tissue.
However, due to the spongy nature of the tumor, the tiny robots were absorbed, congregated inside, and delivered radioactive iodine—a commonly used radioisotope for treating localized tumors and thyroid gland cancer.