Pancreatic cancer is very difficult to diagnose and treat. The fact is that tumor cells are so
Problematic treatment
One of the treatments is chemotherapy andradiotherapy. The goal is to keep tumor cells in a state that makes them vulnerable to radiation, and then hit the tumor with a directed beam of radiation.
en.freepik.com
But this treatment has many side effects.Attacking a tumor without exposing the patient to heavy doses of radiation is very difficult. Another method that scientists are exploring is the use of implants that can be placed directly inside a tumor to attack it with radioactive materials from the inside. Scientists have already made progress in this area, using titanium shells to package radioactive samples. But this method is also dangerous due to potential damage to surrounding tissues.
There is a solution
In a new study, biologists and engineersfrom Duke University created an alternative type of implant, it was made from more biocompatible materials. Potentially, they do not pose the same danger to the human body.
Scientists used synthetic chainsamino acids known as elastin-like polypeptides (ELP). They remain liquid at room temperature but form a stable gel-like material in the warmer environment of the body.
How was the experiment?
The substance was injected into tumors in various micemodels of pancreatic cancer together with a radioactive element - the isotope iodine-131, which is often used in the treatment of cancer.
Iodine-131 is an artificial radioactive isotope of iodine.The half-life is about 8 days, the decay mechanism is beta decay. First obtained in 1938 at Berkeley. It is one of the significant fission products of uranium, plutonium and thorium, accounting for up to 3% of nuclear fission products.
In this environment, ELP absorbs iodine-131 andprevents it from leaking into the body, but allows it to emit beta radiation, which penetrates the surrounding tumor. Once the radiation is consumed, the ELP biogel safely breaks down into harmless amino acids.
en.freepik.com
Beta radiation - electron or positroncorpuscular ionizing radiation with a continuous energy spectrum, emitted during nuclear transformations. About 1,500 beta radioactive isotopes are known.
What's the bottom line?
The implant was tested in combinationwith the conventional chemotherapy drug paclitaxel. In all models tested, scientists report a 100% response to treatment. In 75% of models, dual treatment completely eliminated tumors in 80% of cases. Scientists tested a new treatment for pancreatic cancer because they wanted to explore its potential against one of the most challenging forms of the disease, but engineers believe the results could be used more widely in the future.
There's a lot to be done before that happens, and the next step for researchers is to test on larger animals.
Read more:
Starlink signal hacked to be used as an alternative to GPS
NASA revealed the origin of Haumea - the most mysterious planet in the solar system
Physicists Break Standard Quantum Limit With 'Quantum Horror'