""Soon gold nano-particles may help in treating lung cancer""

Soon gold nano-particles may help in treating lung cancer

A recent study, tiny flecks of gold could be used in the fight against cancer. The Independent groups of the researchers have just completed a study which shows the precious metal increased the effectiveness of drugs used to treat lung cancer cells. The Minute fragments, known as gold nano particles were encased in a chemical device by the research team.
This has not yet been tested on humans. It is hoped such a device could one day be used to reduce side effects of current chemotherapy treatments by precisely targeting diseased cells without damaging healthy tissue. The Gold is a safe chemical element and has the ability to accelerate or catalyses and chemical reactions.
The scientists discovered properties of the metal that allow these catalytic abilities to be accessed in living things without any side effects. This device was shown to be effective after being implanted in the brain of a zebrafish.
A suggesting it can be used in living animals.
The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers at the University of Zaragoza's Institute of Nano-science of Aragon in Spain.
It’s funding coming from Cancer Research UK (CRUK), and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Dr Asier Unciti of Broceta from the University of the Edinburgh.
"We have discovered new properties of gold that were previously unknown and our findings suggest that the metal could be used to release drugs inside tumors very safely. There is still work to do before we can use this on patients, but this study is a step forward.

We hope that a similar device in humans could one day be implanted by surgeons to activate chemotherapy directly in tumors and reduce harmful effects to healthy organs."
The developing new and better ways of delivering cancer drugs. These studies like this have the potential to improve cancer treatment and reduce side effects.
In particular, it could help improve treatment for brain tumors and other hard-to-treat cancers,"
Dr Aine McCarthy, Cancer Research UK's senior science information officer.

The next steps will be to see if this method is safe to use in people what its long and short-term side effects are, and if it's a better way to treat some cancers.
source http://www.businessinsider.in/Soon-gold-nanoparticles-may-help-in-treating-lung-cancer/