Researchers Transform Cancer Therapy to Make it 20,000 Times More Effective

Researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois re-engineered the structure of the commonly ussed chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil (5FU) into that of a “spherical nucleic acid” (SNA) — a nanostructure that weaves the drug directly into DNA strands coating tiny spheres, making its cancer cell-killing ability 20,000 more effective, while also reducing its toxicity.

In the study, the researchers tested the nanomedicine in a small animal model of acute myeloid leukemia, a fast-moving, difficult-to-treat blood cancer, comparing it to the standard drug. They found the new drug entered leukemia cells 12.5 times more efficiently, killed them up to 20,000 times more effectively and reduced cancer progression 59-fold — all without detectable side effects.

“In animal models, we demonstrated that we can stop tumors in their tracks,” said chemist and nanoscience expert Chad A. Mirkin, PhD, of Northwestern. “If this translates to human patients, it’s a really exciting advance. It would mean more effective chemotherapy, better response rates and fewer side effects. That’s always the goal with any sort of cancer treatment.”

With seven SNA-based therapies currently in clinical trials, the researchers say the new approach could lead to potent vaccines and treatments for cancers, infectious diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases.