Targeting Cancer

Cancer, this broad group of diseases has been around since ancient Greece and it is been a problem ever since to this day. Through many research attempts, scientists have been relentlessly trying to produce or discover a cure this epidemic. Despite people who have been diagnosed with cancer are being treat through therapy. So here is the question, why are the people who are in a long therapy session have not been cured yet?


The answer leads to the fact that the cancer cells have develop a high drug resistance that would come back the effects of chemotherapy drugs. In the cancer there are two types of cells: a drug-sensitive cells and drug-resistant cells. During the chemotherapy, the drugs would go kill off the cells that are "drug-sensitive". As the tumor begins to grow and develop, the therapy would then be not as effective because most of the remaining cells are highly-drug resistant. This would allow the tumor to avoid the toxic drugs, leaving to an increase in chemo-resistance pumps: P-glycoprotein and a multidrug resistance proteins (MRP).



A recent study reveals that a certain nanoparticles can by-pass the multidrug pumps and deliver the anticancer medications to the cell nucleus. A research team at Northwestern University developed a nanoparticle that contains an iron oxide core and a titanium oxide shell. The iron oxide core's purpose serves as an MRI agent, while the titanium oxide shell serves to bind towards anticancer agents through chemical bonding. In their experiment they use ovarian cancer cells and inject with two types of nanoparticles: one with doxorubicin and one without doxorubicin. In the process the nanoparticles did do their job and admnistered the doxorubicin into the cell nucleus. There they made an important observation that the empty nanoparticles increased cell uptake transferrin. In the end, this could be a breakthrough towards defeating cnancer.

References:
"Cancer Multidrug Resistance." Nature.com. NatuPublishing Group, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2012
              <http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v18/n10s/full/nbt1000_IT18.html>
"How Do Cancer Cells Become Drug Resistant?" Taconic. N.p., n.d. Web 24 Nov. 2012
              <http://www.taconic.com/wmspage/cfm?parm1=313>
"Overcoming Cancer Drug Resistance with Nanoparticles." Overcmoing Cancer Drug Resistance with                 Nanoparticles. N.p., 20 Jan. 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012

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