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3/7/2015 Frequently Asked Questions: Cancer Nanotechnology
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Frequently Asked Questions: Cancer Nanotechnology
November 2013
1. What is nanotechnology? What is a nanometer?2. What are nanoscale biomedical devices?3. Why is nanotechnology an important tool for cancer research?4. What is the promise of nanotechnology for cancer detection and therapy?5. What has been NCI's experience in funding cancerrelated nanotechnology research
and development?6. What is the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer and how was it developed?7. Is NCI taking steps to ensure that all nanodevices are safe for the individual and
the environment?8. What is the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory?9. Are there any real world examples showing the promise of nanotechnology?10. I’m interested in learning about cancer treatments/clinical trials related to
nanotechnology. How do I find information about participating in clinical trials?
1. What is nanotechnology? What is a nanometer?
Nanotechnology is the creation of useful materials, devices, and systems used tomanipulate matter at an incredibly small scale—between 1 and 100 nanometers.
A nanometer is one billionth of a meter—1/80,000 the width of a human hair, or aboutten times the diameter of a hydrogen atom. Such nanoscale objects can be useful bythemselves, or as part of larger devices containing multiple nanoscale objects.
Nanotechnology has the potential to enable the translation of molecularbased scienceinto clinical advances, thereby facilitating major progress in the early detection, diagnosisand treatment of cancer.
The emerging field of nanotechnology involves scientists from many different disciplinesincluding physicists, chemists, engineers, material scientists and biologists.Nanotechnology is being applied to almost every industry imaginable, including, but notlimited to electronics, magnetics and optoelectronics, energy, information technology,materials development, transportation, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical applications.
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2. What are nanoscale biomedical devices?
Nanoscale devices are the same size as many important biological objects, and thereforecan be used to see and manipulate biological activity invisible to the naked eye. Nanoscaledevices are smaller than human cells, which are 10,000 to 20,000 nanometers indiameter, and cellular components, such as mitochondria, that are inside cells. Nanoscaledevices are similar in size to large biomolecules, such as enzymes and receptors—
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devices are similar in size to large biomolecules, such as enzymes and receptors—hemoglobin, for example, is approximately five nanometers in diameter, while a cell's wallis around six nanometers thick. They can, therefore, perform tasks inside the body thatwould otherwise not be possible.
For example, nanoscale devices smaller than 50 nanometers can easily enter most cells,while those smaller than 20 nanometers can move through the walls of blood vessels. Asa result, nanoscale devices can readily interact with molecules on both the cell surface andwithin the cell. Larger devices, such as microfluidic chips, are also being developed withnanoscale components for advanced diagnostics applications.
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3. Why is nanotechnology an important tool for cancer research?
There are several reasons that nanotechnology could transform cancer research andclinical approaches to cancer care:
Most biological processes, including those processes leading to cancer, occur at thenanoscale. For cancer researchers, nanotechnology offers unprecedented means tomonitor and manipulate these processes in the search for cures.The ability to simultaneously interact with multiple critical proteins and nucleicacids at the molecular level will provide a better understanding of the complexbehavior of cells in their normal state as well as the transformation into malignantcells.Nanotechnology provides a platform for integrating research in proteomics—thestudy of the structure and function of proteins, including the way they work andinteract with each other inside cells—with other scientific investigations into themolecular nature of cancer.
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4. What is the promise of nanotechnology for cancer detection and therapy?
Nanotechnology offers a wealth of tools that are providing cancer researchers with newand innovative ways to diagnose and treat cancer. Nanotechnology research is leading toadvances in early detection, molecular imaging, assessment of therapeutic efficacy,targeted and multifunctional therapeutics, and prevention and control of cancer.
Already, nanotechnology has been used to create new and improved ways to find smalltumors through imaging, and work is currently being done to move these new researchtools into clinical practice. Nanoscale drug delivery devices are being developed to deliveranticancer therapeutics specifically to tumors, and some are already on the market.
In the near future, nanoscale devices could offer the potential to detect cancer at itsearliest stage and simultaneously deliver anticancer agents to the discovered tumor.Nanotechnology provides opportunities to prevent cancer progression. For example,nanoscale systems, because of their small dimensions, could be applied to stop progressionof ductal types of breast cancers.
Examples of nanotechnology in cancer research today include the following:
Nanoscale cantilevers and nanowire sensors can detect biomarkers of cancer from asingle cell, which heretofore was unimaginable.Nanoparticles can aid in imaging malignant lesions, so surgeons know where thecancer is and how to remove it.Nanoshells can kill tumor cells selectively, so patients don't suffer terrible sideeffects from healthy cells being destroyed.Dendrimers can sequester drugs to reduce systemic side effects, deliver multipledrugs to maximize therapeutic impact, and rapidly discern effectiveness of a drug.
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drugs to maximize therapeutic impact, and rapidly discern effectiveness of a drug.Biosensors can monitor genetic changes and hyperplasia to prevent cancerprogression.
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5. What has been NCI's experience in funding cancerrelated nanotechnologyresearch and development?
The NCI has been a leader in funding cancerrelated nanotechnology research for nearlytwo decades. The NCI has funded numerous projects that have demonstrated thepotential of cancer nanotechnology.
In 2004, NCI launched the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer to advance a number ofpromising nanotechnologies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer, in itsfirst five years. The success of the program led NCI to announce in September 2010 itscontinued support of the Alliance with the award of fiveyear, multiinstitution grants togenerate new preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cancer in areaswhere improvements cannot be realized using existing technologies. Given the progress todate, the NCI committed an investment of approximately $30 million per year for thenext five years for the second phase of the Alliance’s research and training initiatives.
In addition, NCI has funded several highly successful cancer nanotechnology researchprojects via the Unconventional Innovations Program (UIP) and the Innovative MolecularAnalysis Technologies Program. The UIP began in 1999 and invested $50 million over aten year period. Some examples of work conducted by these projects include noveltechnologies for noninvasive detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, andimmunoliposome technology for tumortargeted drug/probe delivery.
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6. What is the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer?
To capitalize on the promise of nanotechnology in cancer, the National Cancer Institute(NCI) launched the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer in September 2004. TheAlliance, built on a strong foundation of science and scientific accomplishment, is acomprehensive, systematized initiative encompassing the public and private sectors. TheAlliance is designed to speed the use of nanotechnology to address the major challenges inclinical oncology and basic cancer research.
The Alliance has five major components:
Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNEs) – NCI has funded ninemultidisciplinary Centers that are the primary components for discovery and tooldevelopment of nanotechnology in clinical oncology.Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnerships (CNPP) – NCI has awarded 12partnerships that are designed to promote and support individual, circumscribedmultidisciplinary research projects that will address major barriers andfundamental questions in cancer using innovative nanotechnology solutions.Cancer Nanotechnology Training Centers (CNTC) – NCI has named six CNTCs withthe goal of educating and training researchers from diverse fields in the use ofnanotechnologybased approaches to advance understanding of cancer biology andcreate new methods and tools for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment ofcancer.Pathway to Independence Awards in Cancer Nanotechnology Research – Sevenawards have been funded for the transition of postdoctoral scientists working oncancer nanotechnology from mentored environments to independence.Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL) – The NanotechnologyCharacterization Laboratory (NCL) performs and standardizes the preclinicalcharacterization of nanomaterials intended for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics
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characterization of nanomaterials intended for cancer therapeutics and diagnosticsdeveloped by researchers from academia, government and industry.
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7. Is NCI taking steps to ensure that all nanodevices are safe for the individualand the environment?
The NCI recognizes the importance of advancing our knowledge and understanding of thetechnology, while also ensuring that the technology is safe and effective. The success ofefforts in the field is contingent upon scientific excellence in research and developmentthat is both ethical and safe for the body and the environment. The NCI is systematicallyaddressing these issues within the purview of its biomedical expertise and itscollaborations, primarily through its Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory. The NCIpartnered with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help developcriteria to define all the key physical and biological characteristics of nanodevices intendedfor use in cancerrelated nanotechnology research. Furthermore, the NCI expanded itsinteraction with the FDA to facilitate smoother transition from benchtobedside byensuring that researchers have sufficient and appropriate data to guide the developmentof safe and efficient nanodevices.
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8. What is the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory?
One of the major challenges in life sciences and cancer research at this time is the need tothoroughly delineate the biological and physical characteristics of given nanotechnologiesas they are developed, so that research knowledge can be shared and built upon as rapidlyas possible.
With the vast number of nanodevices being used in cancer research, it is necessary todevelop a common lexicon or vocabulary that researchers can use to better understandtheir test results. This lexicon can also be used by researchers who are beginning newresearch projects to avoid initial and timeconsuming characterization efforts. TheNanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL) was established by the NCI to providethis framework. A primary objective of the NCL is to develop data on how nanomaterialsand nanodevices interact with biological systems. These research endeavors chart acommon baseline and compile scientific data that inform research and development aswell as regulatory actions involving nanoscale diagnostics, imaging agents andtherapeutics. Moreover, this information is linked to NCIsupported Cancer Centers andrelated programs through public databases available through NCI's cancer Biomedical
Informatics Grid (caBIG®).
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9. Are there any real world examples showing the promise of nanotechnology?
Yes, there are several nanotechnologybased drugs on the market and many more inclinical trials, including the following applications:
Liposomes, which are first generation nanoscale devices, are being used as drugdelivery vehicles in several products. For example, liposomal amphotericin B is usedto treat fungal infections often associated with aggressive anticancer treatment andliposomal doxorubicin is used to treat some forms of cancer. Nanoparticulate ironoxide particles can be used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to accuratelydetect metastatic lesions in lymph nodes without surgery.Linking "biologic" drugs to polymers is being used to prevent the drug frominappropriately activating the immune system.Chemotherapeutic and radioactive agents are being targeted directly to cancerous
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cells by attaching antibodies that seek out molecules on their cell surface.Chemotherapeutic drugs like paclitaxel are bound to and concentrated on albuminproteins to render them more effective at the target.
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10. I’m interested in learning about cancer treatments/clinical trials related tonanotechnology. How do I find information about participating in clinical trials?
For background information about clinical trials what they are, whether they might be ofbenefit to you see Learn About Clinical Trials. To find a specific cancer clinical trial, seethe Clinical Trials Search Form. More clinical trialrelated information is available in otherareas of the Clinical Trials section of the NCI website.
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