Cancer Chemoradiation Powered by Nanotechnology: Realizing the Full Potential of Radiotherapy with Gold NP-BM

Nanotechnology, especially nanoparticles (NPs), has gained significant attention in various sectors like medicine and electronics due to their large surface area, high volume %, precision, and low toxicity to healthy cells. These properties enhance their permeability through biological barriers, making them promising in disease management. In the context of cancer treatment, NPs can deliver drugs directly to tumors and affected organs, minimizing harm to healthy tissues. A major challenge in modern radiation therapy (RT) is the toxicity it poses to normal tissues. To tackle this, the study introduced gold nanoparticles (Gold NPs) and BMs as novel radio sensitizers. By binding BMs to Gold NPs using a gold-thiol linkage, they targeted epithelial MIA PaCa-2 cells, derived from a 65-year-old male's pancreatic tumor. The results revealed that treating these cells with GOLD NP-BM in RT reduced cell proliferation by 85%, whereas Gold NPs alone reduced it by 14%. The study confirmed these results with DNA DSB mapping and posits that merging nanomedicine with RT can elevate the therapeutic ratio, paving the way for a paradigm shift in clinical treatments.