Just an FYI in case you haven't seen this.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have found a way to target cancer cells
by injecting tiny particles that will attack only the diseased cells while
leaving healthy cells unscathed, according to a study released on Monday.

A team of researchers working at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital in
Boston laced tiny particles with lethal doses of chemotherapy and when
injected they targeted cancer cells alone.

The team first conducted experiments on cells growing in laboratory dishes
and then on mice bearing human prostate tumors, according to the study,
published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences.

In the mice, the tumors shrank dramatically and all of the mice survived the
study while the untreated control animals did not.

"A single injection of our nanoparticles completely eradicated the tumors in
five of the seven treated animals, and the remaining animals also had a
significant tumor reduction, compared to the controls," said Dr. Omid
Farokhzad, assistant professor at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard
Medical School.

While all the parts of this new delivery system are known to be safe, it
must still be proven safe for humans. The scientists said that further
testing is needed on larger animals, and eventually in humans.

Some reports have suggested that nanoparticles might cause damage to cells
and be hazardous to health because of their tiny size, and some experts
advocate more research before they come into wide use.

According to the study, the researchers tailor-made tiny sponge-like
nanoparticles laced with the drug docetaxel. The particles are designed to
dissolve in a cells' internal fluids, releasing the anti-cancer drug either
rapidly or slowly, depending on what is needed.

To make sure that only the correct cells are hit, the nanoparticles are
"decorated" on the outside with targeting molecules called aptamers, or tiny
chunks of genetic material.

Like homing devices, the aptamers specifically recognize the surface
molecules on cancer cells, while avoiding normal cells.

The team chose nanoparticles as drug-delivery vehicles because they are so
small that living cells will readily swallow them when at the cell's
surface.