Monday, 6th October 2008 (638 views)

The potential for gold nanorods to become a significant tool in the fight against cancer has been highlighted in a scientific journal.

Research that combined the gold nanostructures with chemotherapy drugs has provided "impressive" results, according to the piece published in the Advanced Materials journal and reported by website Ars Techinca.

The small size of gold nanoparticles allows them to pass into cells and heating them up with thermal energy can help to destroy cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed.

In addition, the use of gold nanorods to deliver the drugs results in one-third of the dosage having the same efficiency as a standard course of chemotherapy, the journal noted.

Rod-shaped gold nanoparticles are particularly useful for this form of cancer treatment as their shape affects the way that heat is conducted.

A German-American team of scientists recently developed a new way to produce gold nanorods without the use of cytotoxic materials.

 

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