A team led by Sanjiv Gambhir of Stanford University is endeavoring to create molecular signals, or nano-particles that will help physicists view pre-cancerous polyps not visible to the naked eye. The team has been analyzing a nanoparticle used in anti-counterfeiting.
Stnford University says the use of gold nanoparticles during a colonoscopy could help doctors detect small, easily overlooked polyps.
Gold-silica nanoparticles are incorporated into security documents such as paper money to confirm their genuineness. The particles diffuse light in a particular manner, helping discern real currency from forged ones. The team added a surface layer to these nano-particles to enable them to bind to cancer cells.
Peptides and proteins were applied to the nano-particles to help identify cancer cells in the initial stages. The nano-particles bind easily to cancer cells.
A patient suffering from colon cancer would first drink a liquid having multitude of nano-particles. As they descend to the bowel, they bind to the tumor cells on the way. The procedure helps the physician to view the bright nano-particles attached to the cancer cells
Gambhir says that government approval for the technique could be received by end 2012. The research paper has recently appeared in the journal, Science Translational Medicine.