'Intelligent' nanoparticles could help treat cancer patients

Scientists from the University of Surrey have developed 'intelligent'  nanoparticles which heat up to a temperature high enough to kill  cancerous cells - but which then self-regulate and lose heat before they get hot enough to harm healthy tissue.

The self-stopping nanoparticles could soon be used as part of  hyperthermic-thermotherapy to treat patients with cancer, according to  an exciting new study reported in Nanoscale. Thermotherapy has long been used as a treatment method for cancer, but it is difficult to treat patients without damaging healthy cells. However, tumor cells can be weakened or killed without affecting normal tissue if temperatures can be controlled accurately within a range of 42°C to 45 °C.

This could potentially be a game changer in the way we treat people who have cancer . If we can keep cancer treatment sat at a temperature level high enough to kill the cancer, while low enough to stop harming healthy tissue, it will prevent some of the serious side effects of vital treatment.

It's a very exciting development which, once again, shows that the University of Surrey research is at the forefront of nanotechnologies - whether in the field of energy materials or, in this case, healthcare. Dr. Wei Zhang, Associate Professor from Dalian University of Technology said Magnetic induced hyperthermia is a traditional route of treating  malignant tumors. However, the difficulties in temperature control has significantly restricted its usage If we can modulate the magnetic  properties of the nanoparticles, the therapeutic temperature can be  self-regulated, eliminating the use of clumsy temperature monitoring and controlling systems.

By making magnetic materials with the Curie temperature falling in the range of hyperthermia temperatures, the self-regulation of therapeutics can be achieved. For the most magnetic materials, however,  the Curie temperature is much higher than the human body can endure. By  adjusting the components as we have, we have synthesized the nanoparticles with the Curie temperature as low as 34 °C. This is a major nanomaterials breakthrough.

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'Intelligent' nanoparticles could help treat cancer patients

FDA Approves Once-Weekly Bydureon BCise (exenatide) for Patients with Type-2 Diabetes

 In continuation of my update on exenatide. AstraZeneca announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Bydureon® BCise™ (exenatide extended-release) injectable suspension, a new formulation of Bydureon (exenatide extended-release) injectable suspension in an improved once-weekly, single-dose autoinjector device for adults with type-2 diabeteswhose blood sugar remains uncontrolled on one or more oral medicines inaddition to diet and exercise, to improve glycemic control.

Unlike other glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, Bydureon BCise has a unique, continuous-release microsphere delivery system designed to provide consistent therapeutic levels of the active ingredient, exenatide, to help patients reach and maintain steady state. The new formulation in the innovative Bydureon BCise device is proven to reduce blood sugar levels, with the added benefit of weight loss, although not a weight loss medicine.

Across two clinical trials, average HbA1c reductions of up to 1.4% and average weight loss of up to 3.1 pounds were achieved when used as  monotherapy or as an add-on to metformin, a sulfonylurea, a thiazolidinedione, or any combination of two of these oral anti-diabetic medicines at 28 weeks. The most common adverse reactions reported in ≥5% of patients in clinical trials were nausea (8.2%) and adverse events associated with injection-s te nodules (10.5%).

Bydureon BCise is designed for ease and patient convenience in a once-weekly, pre-filled device with a pre-attached hidden needle. The medication is administered in three simple steps – mix, unlock, inject.

New molecule could become first treatment against chemotherapy-induced neuropathy

IDIBELL Researchers of the Neuro-Oncology Unit of Bellvitge University Hospital - Catalan Institute of Oncology, led by Dr. Jordi Bruna, have successfully tested a new molecule capable of preventing the development of peripheral neuropathy induced by chemotherapy in cancer patients, especially in colon cancer cases, the third most common neoplasm in the world. The molecule, which has a completely novel mechanism of action, would be the first treatment against this neurological complication, for which no effective treatment has yet been approved.

One of the main adverse effects of certain chemotherapeutics used in the treatment of cancers is peripheral neuropathy, which can cause tingling, numbness, pain or alterations in the functionality of patients, among others. This complication, so far, has been regarded as a "price to pay" despite having a demonstrated negative impact on the quality of life of the patient, increasing their care expenses and often preventing the complete and effective administration of the cytostatic treatment, with the potential decrease of survival chances that entails.

Researchers at the HUB-ICO-IDIBELL Unit identified a new molecule - developed by the Catalan laboratory Esteve - as a candidate to prevent  the onset of this adverse effect. "Through a public-private partnership, we have been able to design a Phase 2b clinical trial (randomized with placebo), which has allowed us to get a great deal of scientific information - effect on pain, pathophysiology - and draw conclusions as to the potential of the drug in the prevention of neuropathies during cytostatic treatment", explains Dr. Bruna, who led the trial.

The results of the study prove a decrease in the appearance of disorders associated with nerve dysfunction in those cancer patients who took the new drug. "When the trial was designed, safety data from the previous trials limited the duration of treatment with the new molecule and this meant that we had to work at low doses in relation to the duration of the chemotherapy treatment, but we have nevertheless obtained positive results and now we have enough information to be able to extend the duration of the treatment. Therefore, we hope to obtain even more satisfactory results" the IDIBELL researcher comments.

"Given the usual pace of clinical trials and drug agencies following fast-track approval processes in severe or orphan pathologies, this new drug could potentially reach the market soon, since it would be the first available treatment to avoid this type of neuropathy. In addition,  it has other medical uses as a non-opioid analgesic", adds Bruna. In any case, improving pain control and reducing the occurrence of severe neuropathy is undoubtedly the most prominent benefit of the development of this novel drug.