Audio Transcript:
Incoming!
I'm Bob Karson with the discovery files -- new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.
In the war on cancer, scientists have been working to use tiny pouches called liposomes as containers -- to be loaded with deadly meds that kill cancer cells. (SOUND EFFECT: fighter planes in formation) Trouble is, when you're delivering that poisonous payload, you need a good pilot. A way to get in, bomb the cancer cells, and get out -- with little or no collateral damage to healthy cells.
For several years, scientists have been trying to use antibodies as pilots, to show liposomes -- and their payload -- to their targets. But attaching antibodies to liposomes for a successful mission is a tough job.
Now University of Illinois researchers have turned to a new breed of pilot for liposomes: small molecules called aptamers.
Aptamers are strands of DNA or RNA that bind to selected molecules. The researchers isolate aptamers that go for specific receptors on cancer cells, and enlist them as targeting agents. And why not? They're easy to make, label, manipulate and can be disabled once the mission is over.
(SOUND EFFECT: planes dropping bombs, strafing) In lab tests with cell cultures, these top guns performed admirably. Four days after exposure to this new system, nearly 60% of breast cancer cells were killed compared to only 12% when treated with medication alone. The method shows promise as a delivery system for medications that treat other diseases as well.
Chalk one up for our side.
"The Discovery Files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research -- brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast.
