Associate professor of biochemistry at Purdue University W. Andy Tao has created a nanopolymer coated with drugs that can penetrate cells and be withdrawn to assess, which cell proteins have been penetrated.
The nanopolymers are soluble in water making them a good delivery system. Most cancer drugs do not target different proteins, according to Tao. His research paper has been published online in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. This feature could impact side effects.
The artificial nanopolymer is equipped with a chemical group responsive to small beads. The beads bring out the nanopolymer and any proteins attached to it after the drug has acted. The team has used mass spectrometry to assess, which proteins exist and those penetrated by the drug. This development will allow pharmaceutical companies to determine whether their drugs penetrate only the target or all proteins. Removal of unnecessary protein targets could help minimize hazardous side effects related to cancer drugs.
Clinical tests were conducted with human cancer cells and methotrexate, the cancer drug. The nanopolymers were coated with a fluorescent dye to help view their entry into cells. The cells were then broken and the nanopolymers withdrawn.
The program was financed by the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Research Resources and a National Science Foundation Career Grant.
Source: http://www.purdue.edu