A dual-action nanomaterial uses cancer’s own chemistry to destroy tumors while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a new nanomaterial that activates two chemical reactions inside cancer cells, destroying them through oxidative stress while largely sparing healthy tissue.
The study, led by Oleh and Olena Taratula and Chao Wang of the OSU College of Pharmacy, was published in Advanced Functional Materials.
Turning cancer’s chemistry against itself
The study builds on chemodynamic therapy or CDT, a developing cancer treatment strategy that takes advantage of the unusual chemical conditions inside tumors. Cancer cells typically exist in a more acidic environment than normal tissue and contain higher levels of hydrogen peroxide, creating conditions that can be exploited for targeted therapy.
Traditional CDT relies on these tumor-specific conditions to produce hydroxyl radicals. These highly reactive molecules, made up of oxygen and hydrogen with an unpaired electron, damage cells by oxidizing essential components such as lipids, proteins, and DNA.
More recent CDT approaches have expanded this concept by also generating singlet oxygen, another reactive oxygen species. Singlet oxygen differs from the oxygen we breathe because it has one electron spin state instead of the three found in more stable atmospheric oxygen, making it especially reactive inside cells.
“However, existing CDT agents are limited,” Oleh Taratula said. “They efficiently generate either radical hydroxyls or singlet oxygen but not both, and they often lack sufficient catalytic activity to sustain robust reactive oxygen species production. Consequently, preclinical studies often only show partial tumor regression and not a durable therapeutic benefit.”
