Massachusetts Institute of Technology Researchers Develop a Technique to Target Tumors and Avoid Chemotherapy Side Effects

It is now possible to avoid some of the side effects caused by traditional chemotherapy.

MIT researchers report that they are developing a manufacturing technique to target tumors directly and avoid many side effects brought about by standard chemotherapy.

The Method

Molecules bind to certain receptors on cancer cells and are:

• engineered to be combined with nanoparticles and
• target cancer cells.

The team generates a large quantity of nanoparticles that are coated with polymers that deliver therapeutic drugs to the target where they discharge their payload.

Professor Paula Hammond along with her students used a layering technique to create these particles in mouse models. Their efforts proved to be successful, as they found that the newly created particles are effective in killing cancer.

A New Development

The next step was to move the nanoparticles to be adaptable to being used by humans. The team has developed a technique that generates larger amounts of particles in much less time.

Dr. Hammond sees a solid future using the systems they are developing, including the success they have had working with animal models in the treatment of ovarian cancer. The goal, as explained by Dr. Hammond, is to eventually bring the project to scale and increase manufacturing. The study appears this week in the publication Advanced Functional Materials.

About the Method

The new approach involves various layers, with different properties, deposited on a nanoparticle surface and being exposed to positively and negatively charged molecules (polymers).

Note that every layer carries particles to find and access cancer cells.

Professor Hammond’s lab has developed a method of working with one layer then after all application particles are put through a centrifuge process (spinning) to remove excess polymer. However, the researchers maintained that this method is time-consuming, and it is difficult to increase production.

In order to conduct a successful clinical investigation, a substantial number of doses must be readily available.

A Large-Scale Process

The researchers used a large-scale microfluidic mixing unit and added polymer layers in real time as particles flowed through the device. It is estimated that the new method can generate up to 50 doses in several minutes which would meet clinical trial demands.

Using this method, researchers can calculate the amount of polymer they need so that purifying the particles is no longer necessary.

An Added Bonus

In addition to delivering layers of nanoparticles, adding the cytokine IL-12 activates immune cells in mice and slows ovarian tumor growth. The nanoparticles will bind to cancerous tissue. They also have the ability to avoid entering cancer cells, thus they can act as markers on the cells and activate the immune system in the tumor.

 By observing ovarian cancer in the mouse models, the researchers found that the treatment often leads to a delay in tumor growth or even to a cure. Although the focus has been on the abdominal cavity, (ovarian cancer), the team expects to be working on glioblastoma in the near future.

The researchers have applied for a patent on the technology.

cancer cancer research cancer treatment chemotherapy Chemotherapy side effects Massachusetts institute of Technology MIT

Last modified: April 11, 2025