[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6547\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGold nanoparticles shine light on cancer cure\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003EEvery year, 1.9 million Europeans die of cancer, \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/www.euro.who.int\/en\/health-topics\/noncommunicable-diseases\/cancer\/data-and-statistics\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eaccording\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003E to the World Health Organization, meaning that Europe has around one-quarter of the global total of cancer cases, despite the fact that it has only one-eighth of the total world population.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018When we use the gold nanoparticle, we get a much stronger signal.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Furong Tian, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Gold nanoparticles, because they are so small, they have optical properties that are completely different to (normal) gold,\u2019 said Dr Maria Moros, from the Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems in Naples, Italy. \u2018When they are irradiated with a laser from outside the body, they can produce heat.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Moros is the leading researcher in an EU-funded project called HyHeat, which is looking into the technique as a means to heat up cancer cells, weakening them and making them more susceptible to cancer drugs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe clever thing about it is that, for some nanoparticles, the laser is at a frequency which doesn\u2019t affect normal bodily tissue, meaning just the cancer cells get hot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s what we call the biological window,\u2019 explained Dr Moros.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technique is already being used experimentally on patients, but it will still be years until the right combination of laser frequency and gold nanoparticle is found.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause of this, Dr Moros is working to compile data that correlates the nanoparticles with the correct laser frequency and work out how the cells respond genetically in each case, by conducting tests on tiny freshwater creatures known as polyps.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Researchers are using polyps to test which laser frequencies work best with gold nanoparticles. Image credit: \u2018Hydra biology\u2019 by Przemys\u0142aw Malkowski is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 height=\u0022348\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Hydra_biology_crop.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Researchers are using polyps to test which laser frequencies work best with gold nanoparticles. Image credit: \u2018Hydra biology\u2019 by Przemys\u0142aw Malkowski is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 width=\u0022733\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EResearchers are using polyps to test which laser frequencies work best with gold nanoparticles. Image credit: \u2018Hydra biology\u2019 by Przemys\u0142aw Malkowski is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018People later on can use this panel of genes ... to classify the nanoparticles before moving forward,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen a laser is shined onto a gold nanoparticle, it also reflects light back, and this information is extremely useful in working out how to treat cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStronger signal\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s because researchers can use it to identify whether a cell is cancerous by analysing a molecule of it on the surface of the gold nanoparticle. They do this by analysing the spectrum of the reflected laser \u2013 a technique known as Raman spectroscopy \u2013 to work out which molecule it is.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018When we use the gold nanoparticle, we get a much stronger signal,\u2019 explained Dr Furong Tian, from the Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland, who was the main researcher in the EU-funded Raman project to work out how to use this technique to test for lung cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt works because molecules in cancer cells give off a different signal to those in non-cancerous cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technology could be used to stop cancer in its tracks, because the gold can double up as a carrier for potential treatments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach treatment can be tested on samples of cancer tissue, and scientists can use Raman spectroscopy to check if the treatment was effective.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt means that they could test many different approaches, such as molecules that can interrupt cell division known as siRNA, or antibodies generated by the body, and see which ones work best for each type of tumour cell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project ended last year, but the researchers have received funding from the Dublin Institute of Technology to continue the work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We can use this research to see which antibody is more effective for which kind of cancer,\u2019 said Dr Tian. \u2018And we can use it to see which siRNA is more useful to stop the cancer from growing.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-zsfjqo8cpir1yhm-bqd2ed7buad40cjc8klgiof6tvq\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-zSfjqo8Cpir1YHm_bQd2Ed7bUAD40Cjc8klGIoF6TVQ\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]