IISc Develop New Hybrid Nanoparticles That Can Detect And Kill Cancer Cells – News18

The scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have now developed a new way to detect and kill cancer cells with the help of nanoparticles. They have created hybrid nanoparticles made of gold and copper sulphide that can detect cancer cells with the help of sound waves and kill them using heat. This novel approach is based on the study published in ACS Applied Nano Materials.

It is believed that early detection and treatment are important for the battle against cancer treatment. It is necessary to get diagnosed in the early stages of this disease. Copper sulphide nanoparticles previously grabbed the headlines for their application in cancer diagnosis while gold nanoparticles have shown anticancer effects. The scientists at IISc have now combined both to form hybrid nanoparticles in their latest study ACS Applied Nano Materials.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsanm.3c02405

“These particles have photothermal, oxidative stress, and photoacoustic properties,” says Jaya Prakash, Assistant Professor at the Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics (IAP), IISc, as quoted in the press release published on the official IISc website. Jaya Prakash is one of the corresponding authors of the paper. PhD students Madhav Tripathi and Swathi Padmanabhan are co-first authors of the published study.

Hybrid nanoparticles shine new light on targeting cancer cells

While explaining the process, Jaya Prakash says that these hybrid nanoparticles absorb the light and generate heat which can kill the cancer cells. These nanoparticles also produce singlet oxygen atoms that are toxic to the cells. The combination of both these mechanisms will be fatal for the tumour cells.

The existing methods such as CT and MRI scans require trained radiology professionals to decipher the images but the photoacoustic properties of these particles can provide better images with high resolution. It absorbs light and generates ultrasound waves which gives a clearer and accurate description of the cancer cells. The scans generated from the ultrasound waves can also measure the oxygen saturation in the tumour hence boosting the detection of the cancerous cells.

“It can also be integrated with the existing systems of detection or treatment,” said Ashok M Raichur, Professor at the Department of Material Engineering during the press release. He is also one of the corresponding authors of the paper published.

In the current study, the researchers have tested their nanoparticles on lung and cervical cancer cell lines in the lab. The scientists are now planning to take the results forward for clinical development.