When Jedi Knights need to vanquish an enemy, they whip out their trusty lightsabers. In the future, thanks to Johns Hopkins researchers, doctors seeking to crush cancer may wield minuscule molecular nanoSABERs that allow them to look at tumors in ways never before possible.
Inspired by the process cells use to assemble proteins, a team led by two researchers—Ishan Barman at the university’s Whiting School of Engineering and Jeff W. Bulte, a professor of radiology and radiological science at the School of Medicine who is also affiliated with JHU’s Institute for NanoBioTechnology—has created infinitesimal probes that light up when they encounter certain enzymes found in cancer cells. The ability to visualize tumors in their entirety—and early—could significantly enhance cancer imaging, inform treatment options, and improve patient outcomes.
“This could be a game changer for cancer treatment,” said Barman, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Whiting School, of the self-assembling biorthogonal enzyme recognition (nanoSABER) probes. The team’s results appear in Advanced Science.
Currently, tissue biopsies are the gold standard for detecting most cancers, though they can be inexact and even miss parts of tumors lurking in the margins. The Johns Hopkins team’s approach could solve that problem, allowing clinicians to visualize cancerous activity across entire tumors, providing insights into their possible aggressiveness.
A 3D image of nanoSABER in DU145 cells. Credit: Johns Hopkins University
Enzymes, especially legumain, play a leading role in the development and progression of cancer.
2023-10-12 19:00:05
Source from phys.org