Revolution in oncology: A drug redesigned with nanotechnology kills cancer cells 20,000 times more effectively

A new medical discovery could rewrite the future of cancer treatments. A team of scientists from Northwestern University (United States) announced the development of a chemotherapy drug redesigned with nanotechnology, which kills cancer cells 20,000 times more effectively than its classic form - without harming healthy tissues. The revolutionary results were recently published in the prestigious scientific journal ACS Nano and open the way to a new era in oncology treatments: structural nanomedicine, an emerging branch that designs drugs at the molecular level, to precisely control how they interact with the body. The researchers chose to redesign a well-known drug - 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) - which has been used for decades to treat several types of cancer, but which has low efficiency and high toxicity.

Using spherical nucleic acid (SNA) technology, the specialists reconfigured the molecular structure of the drug, making it much more soluble, more precise and significantly safer. The new formula is made up of spherical nanostructures covered with a dense layer of DNA, in which the active molecule is located. Thanks to this design, cancer cells "recognize” and naturally absorb the drug, which then releases the active substance directly inside the tumor cell. "Basically, we have transformed a classic, toxic and unstable molecule into a precision weapon against cancer,” the Northwestern team explains in a press release.

• Spectacular laboratory results

In tests on mice with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the drug in the form of SNA demonstrated a 12.5-fold higher uptake into tumor cells and a 20,000-fold higher killing efficiency compared to 5-Fu in its conventional form. At the same time, the progression of the disease was slowed down by 59 times, and healthy tissues showed no signs of damage - a remarkable result for a cytostatic treatment. "If the data are confirmed in humans, we could talk about an era of much more effective oncology treatments, with better response rates and minimal side effects,” said Professor Chad A. Mirkin, the lead author of the study and one of the global pioneers of nanomedicine. The concept of spherical nucleic acid (SNA), invented by Professor Mirkin himself, is based on the use of DNA as a building block for drugs. By controlling molecular shape, size and density, scientists can direct treatments precisely to target cells, with almost no side effects. This method paves the way for "smart” drugs that can act only where they are needed - an approach that could revolutionize oncology, as well as treatments for neurodegenerative, infectious and autoimmune diseases. The US researchers now plan to expand their testing to larger animal models, with the next step being to test the therapy in human clinical trials. Seven SNA-based therapies are already in clinical trials, and the success of this project could speed up the approval process for a new generation of drugs. If these promising results are confirmed in clinical trials, chemotherapy could become, for the first time, a true precision therapy that kills cancer without killing the patient. For millions of people around the world who live in fear of the devastating effects of cancer treatments, the news from Northwestern offers a genuine reason for hope.