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Triple-Whammy Treatment
01 May 2014

Triple-Whammy Treatment

This colourful tangle is a computer-generated image of a nanoparticle loaded with cancer-fighting drugs. Using super-tiny particles to deliver drugs to cancer cells without damaging healthy cells is a promising strategy. But it’s been difficult to build units that carry more than two chemical payloads. Scientists usually make them by encapsulating one compound inside the particles and attaching another to the outside. Now they have a fresh approach: make chemical building blocks that already contain drugs, then assemble them to create bespoke combinations in which the relative quantities are carefully controlled. The image depicts polymer chains (blue), which stop the particle being broken down too quickly; linking units (pink); and three different drugs (red, green, dark green core) used to treat ovarian cancer. Put to the test, these triple-whammy nanoparticles killed ovarian cancer cells grown in a dish more effectively than nanoparticles with one or two drugs.

Written by Daniel Cossins

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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