Killing tumor cells while sparing their normal counterparts is a central challenge of cancer chemotherapy. If scientists could put a “homing beacon” in tumors, they could attract these medicines and reduce side effects caused by the drugs acting on healthy cells. Now, researchers have made a hydrogel that, when injected near tumors in mice, recruits drugs to shrink the tumor with fewer side effects.
Scientists have tried to target chemotherapy drugs to tumors by attaching antibodies that bind to proteins expressed on the cancer cells’ surfaces. However, less than 1
To test their approach, the researchers first injected a hydrogel containing cucurbituril under mice’s skin. They attached a dye to the targeting molecule so they could easily track it, and then injected that into the mice’s bloodstream. They found that 4.2
The authors acknowledge funding from the American Cancer Society and the University of Notre Dame.
