Researchers Target Cancer Tumors With Tiny 'Nanoworms'

Using nanoworms, doctors should eventually be able to target and reveal the location of developing tumors that are too small to detect by conventional methods. Carrying payloads targeted to specific features on tumors, these microscopic vehicles could also one day provide the means to more effectively deliver toxic anti-cancer drugs to these tumors in high concentrations without negatively impacting other parts of the body.

The scientists were able to verify in their experiments that theirnanoworms homed in on tumor sites by injecting them into thebloodstream of mice with tumors and following the aggregation of thenanoworms on the tumors. They found that the nanoworms, unlike thespherical nanoparticles of similar size that were shuttled out of theblood by the immune system, remained in the bloodstream for hours.