{"592976":{"#nid":"592976","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Thwarting Metastasis by Breaking Cancer\u2019s Legs with Gold Rods","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Your cancer has metastasized. I\u0026rsquo;m sorry,\u0026rdquo; is something no one wants to hear a doctor say.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECancer cells \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cancerresearchuk.org\/about-cancer\/coping\/physically\/how-can-cancer-kill-you\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ekill most often\u003C\/a\u003E by crawling away from their original tumors to later re-root in vital parts of the body in a process called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cancer.net\/navigating-cancer-care\/cancer-basics\/what-metastasis\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Emetastasis\u003C\/a\u003E. Now, a research team led by the Georgia Institute of Technology \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2017\/06\/21\/1703151114\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehas developed a new treatment\u003C\/a\u003E to thwart cancer\u0026#39;s spread through the body by, in a sense, breaking cancer cells\u0026rsquo; legs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECancer cells often cover themselves with bristly leg-like protrusions that enable them to creep. The researchers have used minuscule gold rods heated gently by a laser to mangle the protrusions, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.pnas.org\/cgi\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.1703151114\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eaccording to a new study\u003C\/a\u003E. The treatment prevented cell migration, a key mechanism in metastasis, in experiments on common laboratory cultures (\u003Cem\u003Ein vitro\u003C\/em\u003E) of cancerous human cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe method could potentially, in the future, offer clinicians going after individual tumors a weapon to combat cancer\u0026rsquo;s deadly spread at the same time. The medical field is currently less than well-equipped to stop metastasis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If cancer stays in a tumor in one place, you can get to it, and it\u0026rsquo;s not so likely to kill the patient, but when it spreads around the body, that\u0026rsquo;s what really makes it deadly,\u0026rdquo; said lead researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/El-Sayed\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMostafa El-Sayed, Julius Brown Chair and Regents Professor\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe treatment can also easily kill cancer cells, but in this experiment, it was vital to specifically show that it greatly slowed cell migration. The method is not scheduled for human testing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHalting cancer softly\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe experimental treatment also spared healthy cells, in these and in prior experiments, making the method potentially much less \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/publications\/patient-education\/chemo-side-effects\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Etaxing on patients than commonly used chemotherapy\u003C\/a\u003E. In past tests in animal models, the researchers have uncovered no toxic side effects from the gold used in the treatment, and have found no observable damage to healthy tissue from the low-energy laser.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd they did not see recurrence of the treated cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The method appears to be very effective as a locally administered treatment that also protects the body from cancer\u0026rsquo;s spread away from the treated tumors, and it is also very mild, so it can be applied many times over if needed,\u0026rdquo; El-Sayed said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEl-Sayed, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/wu\/ronghu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eco-lead author Ronghu Wu\u003C\/a\u003E, and first authors Yue Wu and Moustafa Ali published the results of their current \u003Cem\u003Ein vitro\u003C\/em\u003E experiments, a new development in \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S030438350800325X\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ephotothermal gold nanorod therapy\u003C\/a\u003E, on June 26, 2017, in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.pnas.org\/cgi\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.1703151114\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.\u003C\/a\u003E The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow it works: Icky legs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo understand how the treatment works, let\u0026rsquo;s take a close-up look at a cell and some things that happen to it in malignant cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMany people think of cells as watery balloons -- fluid encased in a membrane sheath with organelles floating around inside. But that picture is incomplete. Cells have support grids called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4BAGI6LbHeo\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ecytoskeletons\u003C\/a\u003E that give them form and that have functions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe cytoskeletons also form bristly \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cellmigration.org\/topics\/protrusion.shtml\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eprotrusions called filopodia, which extend out from a weave of fibers called lamellipodia\u003C\/a\u003E that are on the cell\u0026rsquo;s fringes. The protrusions normally help healthy cells shift their location in the tissue that they are part of.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut in malignant cancer, normally healthy cell functions often lunge into destructive overdrive. Lamellipodia and filopodia are wildly overproduced.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;All these lamellipodia and filopodia give the cancer cells legs,\u0026rdquo; said Yue Wu, a graduate student in bioanalytical chemistry. \u0026ldquo;The metastasis requires those protrusions, so the cells can travel.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow it works: Sticky rods\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/20967876\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Egold nanorods\u003C\/a\u003E thwart the protrusions in two ways. The rods are comprised of a small collection of gold atoms \u0026ndash; nano refers to something being just billionths of meters (or feet) in size.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst, El-Sayed\u0026rsquo;s nanorods are introduced locally, where they encumber the leggy protrusions on cancerous cells. The rods are coated with molecules (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Arginylglycylaspartic_acid\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ERGD-peptide\u003C\/a\u003Es) that make them stick specifically to a type of cell protein called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mechanobio.info\/topics\/mechanosignaling\/cell-matrix-adhesion\/integrin-mediated-signalling-pathway\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eintegrin\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The targeted nanorods tied up the integrin and blocked its functions, so it could not keep guiding the cytoskeleton to overproduce lamellipodia and filopodia,\u0026rdquo; said Yan Tang, a postdoctoral assistant in computational biology who worked on the study. The binding of the integrin alone slowed down the migration of malignant cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut healthy cells were not targeted. \u0026ldquo;There are certain, specific integrins that are overproduced in cancerous cells,\u0026rdquo; said Moustafa Ali, one of the study\u0026rsquo;s first authors. \u0026ldquo;And you don\u0026rsquo;t find them so much in healthy cells.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow it works: Gentle laser heating\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the second phase, researchers hit the gold nanoparticles with a low-energy laser of near-infrared (NIR) light. It brought the migration of the cancer cells to an observable halt.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The light was not absorbed by the cells, but the gold nanorods absorbed it, and as a result, they heated up and partially melted cancer cells they are connected with, mangling lamellipodia and filopodia,\u0026rdquo; Ali said. \u0026ldquo;It didn\u0026rsquo;t kill all the cells, not in this experiment. If we killed them, we would not have been able to observe whether we stopped them from migrating or not.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIf desired, the treatment can also be adjusted to kill the cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEarly experiments in animal models \u003Cem\u003Ein vivo\u003C\/em\u003E with hotter lasers didn\u0026rsquo;t work as well. \u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;That caused inflammation, which made it possible to heat one time only,\u0026rdquo; Ali said. \u0026ldquo;As a result, that high temperature would wipe out many cancer cells, but not all of them. Some hidden ones might have survived, and also still been able to migrate.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This gentle laser didn\u0026rsquo;t burn the skin or damage tissue, so it could be dosed multiple times and more thoroughly stop the cancer cells from being able to travel,\u0026rdquo; said researcher Ronghu Wu.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedical possibilities\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers presently envision treating head, neck, breast, and skin cancers with direct, local nanorod injections combined with the low-power near-infrared laser, which can hit the gold nanorods 2-3 centimeters (a bit under or over an inch) deep inside tissue. \u0026ldquo;But it could go as deep as 4-5 centimeters,\u0026rdquo; Ali said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDeeper tumors could conceivably be treated with deeper injections of nanorods. \u0026ldquo;Then you\u0026rsquo;d need to go in with a fiber optic or endoscopic laser,\u0026rdquo; El-Sayed said. Injecting the nanorods directly into the bloodstream as a broad treatment would not currently be a viable option.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEl-Sayed\u0026rsquo;s group has previously published \u003Cem\u003Ein vivo\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;experiments in mice \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/114\/15\/E3110\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ein the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences together with Emory University School of Medicine\u003C\/a\u003E. That study showed no observable toxicity from the gold in mice 15 months after treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;A lot of it ended up in the liver and spleen,\u0026rdquo; El-Sayed said. \u0026ldquo;But the functions of these organs appeared intact upon examination, and treated mice were alive and healthy over a year later.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPresidential honors\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMostafa El-Sayed is one of the world\u0026rsquo;s most highly decorated and cited living chemists, and a pioneer of nanoscience and technology. Among his many recognitions are \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/news\/special_reports\/medalofscience50\/el-sayed.jsp\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ethe President\u0026rsquo;s National Medal of Science, awarded by President George W. Bush\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2015\/07\/06\/mostafa-el-sayed-wins-2016-priestley-medal\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EPriestley Medal\u003C\/a\u003E, the American Chemical Society\u0026rsquo;s highest honor. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/584568\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EPresident Barack H. Obama appointed El-Sayed to the President\u0026rsquo;s National Medal of Science Committee\u003C\/a\u003E. El-Sayed also participated in the nomination of chemistry \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/nobel_prizes\/chemistry\/laureates\/1999\/zewail-facts.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail. \u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEl-Sayed is known throughout physical chemistry for \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1021\/jp111892y\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEl-Sayed\u0026rsquo;s Rule\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026rdquo; which handles complexities of electron spin orbits, and which has found a lasting place in photochemistry textbooks. After losing his wife to cancer in 2005, El-Sayed dedicated his knowledge and research to ending the scourge.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.rh.gatech.edu\/news\/584146\/report-cancer-and-technology-highlights-georgia-tech-research\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAlso read: Cancer and Technology\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.rh.gatech.edu\/news\/583569\/punching-cancer-rna-knuckles\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAlso read: Punching Cancer with RNA Knuckles\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe following authors also contributed to this research: Haopeng Xiao and Tiegang Han from Georgia Tech, and Kuangcai Chen and Ning Fang from Georgia State University. This research was funded by the National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry (grants 1608801, CAREER Award CHE-1454501), and the National Institutes of Health Nanotechnology Study Section (grant 1R01GM115763). Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EYour cancer has metastasized. No one wants to ever hear that. Now researchers have found a way to virtually halt cell migration, a key component of cancer\u0026#39;s spread through the body, or metastasis, \u003Cem\u003Ein vitro\u003C\/em\u003E, in human cells. In past \u003Cem\u003Ein vivo\u003C\/em\u003E studies in mice, treated cancer did not appear to recur, nor did observable side effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Metastasis virtually halted in human in vitro cultures via gold nanorod photothermal therapy"}],"uid":"31759","created_gmt":"2017-06-26 19:26:21","changed_gmt":"2017-08-07 14:57:57","author":"Ben Brumfield","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2017-06-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2017-06-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"593152":{"id":"593152","type":"image","title":"Migrating cancer cells artist rendering","body":null,"created":"1498832693","gmt_created":"2017-06-30 14:24:53","changed":"1498832693","gmt_changed":"2017-06-30 14:24:53","alt":"","file":{"fid":"226100","name":"cancer migr 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\u0026nbsp;USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: Ben Brumfield (404-660-1408) (ben.brumfield@comm.gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Ben Brumfield\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ben.brumfield@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}