New nano drug candidate kills aggressive breast cancer cells

New nano drug candidate kills aggressive breast cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Arkansas have developed a new nano-drug candidate that kills triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive and fatal types of breast cancer.

The research will help clinicians target breast cancer cells directly while avoiding the adverse and toxic side effects of chemotherapy.

The study was published in the latest issue of the journal -- Advanced Therapeutics.

Researchers led by Hassan Beyzavi, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, linked a new class of nanomaterials, called metalorganic frameworks, with the ligands of an already-developed photodynamic therapy drug to create a nano-porous material that targets and kills tumor cells without creating toxicity for normal cells.

Metal-organic frameworks are an emerging class of nanomaterials designed for targeted drug delivery.

Furthermore, chemotherapy treatment of breast cancer has shown multi-drug resistance.