The treatments available for cancer mainly comprise of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Even though, they give good results in causing remission of the cancer these treatments have a lot of side effects as well. These treatments are targeted to kill the cancer cells but while in the process they end up killing the healthy cells too. Hence this leads to a lot of side effects like nausea, vomiting, decrease in immunity power, weakness, loss of hair etc.
Scientists from National cancer Institute and Ohio state university from USA have gotten a break in their latest research. They have tricked cancer cells into consuming drugs. The new method works like a Trojan horse. The Trojan horse was the subterfuge used by Greeks to enter the Troy city and win the war. There were men hidden inside this larger than life huge wooden horse.
After gaining entrance in the city, they finally overthrew the empire from fighting within. In a similar manner, the drug is hidden inside a capsule made of DNA. The DNA is organised in nanostructures called DNA origami. The cancer cell mistakes the DNA capsule for food and consumes it. The capsule breaks down and releases the drug inside the cancer cell. The released drug kills the cancer cell within 15 hours.
These capsules are designed to deliver drugs to the targeted cancer cells only without harming the remaining healthy cells of the body. This is also called as targeted cancer treatment. Lab tests showed promising results. More research is still required before the institutes approach clinical trials.
It is an exciting news for the medical field as it sophisticates the cancer treatment and works towards decreasing t5he side effects.
