Survival rates of brain cancer continue to remain low, despite the substantial advances in detection, diagnosis, and treating tumors within the brian. This low survival rate is partly due to high levels of resistance to treatment.
According to a study published in BioMed Central’s open access Journal of Nanobiotechnology, researchers from the City College of New York have used Sendai virus to carry Quantum Dots (Qdots) into brain cancer cells and to specifically attach Qdots to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is frequently up-regulated and over-expressed in tumors. This nanoparticle technology could be used to help diagnosis.
Qdots are extremely small fluorescent particles that are more than 1,000 times smaller than a cell and smaller than a virus. Qdots can be attached to biological molecules, such as antibodies. Once the Qdots are attached, the fluorescence makes it easier to discover which cells contain the protein the antibody recognizes, as well as where the protein is located within the cell.
Until now, researchers have found it difficult to get Qdots into cells without them being packaged in to endosomes, and expelled from the cells as waste, or without them clumping.
In order to overcome this problem, the team disguised the Qdots in lipid and protein coats based on Sendai virus.
Professor Maribel Vazquez, said:
“While cells have complex defense mechanisms to protect themselves against attack, viruses have evolved ways to fool the cell into letting them in. We were able to exploit these mechanisms by fusing inactivated mouse parainfluenza virus with liposomes containing Qdots. The Qdots were in turn attached to an antibody against EGFR. So, once inside the cell, the Qdot-antibody complexes were able to bind to the receptor and the amount of bound complex could be monitored by measuring Qdot fluorescence.”
Although the researchers examined the level of EGFR as an indicator for cancer, Qdots could be attached to any antibody. Antibody-Qdot sets would be able to quickly identify different cancer types, lead a more individualized treatment plan, as well as determine potential chemotherapy resistance.
Written by Grace Rattue