Chemotherapy’s job is to kill cancer cells in the body, and it does it very well. Unfortunately, it’s not good at distinguishing between benign and cancerous tissue, which means healthy cells are destroyed in its wake, causing side effects. A recent SciTechDaily article noted a new method of DNA-based chemotherapy that’s more targeted than traditional treatments.
The solution is a nanogel that only breaks down and releases its chemotherapeutic contents within cancer cells. This reduces the impact on normal cells to prevent unwanted side effects such as hair loss, gastrointestinal issues, and fatigue. The nanogels are made of DNA and enter every cell, but only cancer cells with specific biomarkers would initiate the breaking down of the nanogel to release its deadly contents.
