07-26-2010: A new approach for sensing and detecting cancer cells using a hydrogel capsule could lead to a more accurate prognosis of prostate cancer.
Itaru Hamachi and his team at Kyoto University, Japan, have designed a mechanically tough hydrogel that forms a stable capsule in both aqueous and cellular media. The capsule not only selectively detects prostate cancer cells, but also releases a fluorescent drug into the targeted cells upon binding. This is achieved by the presence of an enzyme in the cancerous tissue that causes the capsule to be cleaved open. The drug is then free to bind to the surface of the prostate cancer cells and be internalised (taken into the cells), enabling scientists to view fluorescent imagery from within the diseased cells.
These hydrogels also have a distinct advantage over conventional polymers because they are degradable under biological conditions, which is a useful property for a potential drug delivery vehicle to have if this approach is to be applied to future clinical diagnostics and treatments.
Cancer of the prostate tends to develop in men over 50 and is slow-growing and often symptom-free. Diagnosis is usually determined by routine blood tests measuring prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. But controversy over their reliability means further confirmation is usually needed by taking a biopsy and examining the tissue under a microscope.
Original publication: Masato Ikeda, Rika Ochi, Atsuhiko Wada and Itaru Hamachi, Chemical Science, 2010
Contact / Request information
Request further information free of charge:
Materials: The first graphene-based chiral sensor
A reusable, natural and cheap amylose-functionalised graphene sensor was developed for highly sensitive and visual fluorescent chiral sensing by a team in China.The team found that the sensor’s detection sensitivity toward L-tryptophan was over 100 times higher than that of recently reporte ... more
Non-invasive tool to diagnose endometriosis
British scientists have used infrared spectroscopy to identify biochemical differences between endometrial tissue growing outside the uterus (ectopic) and the endometrial tissue of the uterus (eutopic). They also compared the results with tissue from endometriosis-free women (benign eut ... more
Sensor to search for artery hardening compounds in blood
A water-soluble zinc-based fluorescent sensor to detect pyrophosphate in blood has been developed by scientists from China. Pyrophosphate plays an important role in metabolic processes in the body but a lack of the compound can lead to Mönckeberg’s arteriosclerosis – calcium deposits in art ... more
Shining new light on air pollutants using entangled porous frameworks
Certain types of pollution monitoring may soon become considerably easier. A group of researchers centered at Kyoto University has shown in a recent Nature Communications paper that a newly-formulated entangled framework of porous crystals (porous coordination polymers, or PCPs) can not ... more
Building a smaller, lighter future: Understanding polymer behaviors below 1 nanometer
Knowing how to build nanosized assemblies of polymers (long molecular chains) holds the key to improving a broad range of industrial processes, from the production of nanofibers, filters, and new materials to the manufacture of low-energy, nanoscale circuits and devices. A recent paper in N ... more
Capsule that can target prostate cancer
A new approach for sensing and detecting cancer cells using a hydrogel capsule could lead to a more accurate prognosis of prostate cancer. Itaru Hamachi and his team at Kyoto University, Japan, have designed a mechanically tough hydrogel that forms a stable capsule in both aqueous and cell ... more
About analytica-world.com
analytica-world.com is the industry portal of the international trade fair analytica, which is organized by Messe München. It features useful information about markets, trends and innovations. It is operated by CHEMIE.DE, one of analytica's official sales partners.
Advertising at analytica-world.com
Our advertising formats support you in getting your message across to a clearly defined target audience.
The global network of analytica trade fairs:
