Magnetic Nanocrystals Provide Dual Imaging of Cancer Cells
September 21, 2005 | Source: KurzweilAI
Antibody-labeled magnetic nanocrystals used with MRI can rapidly detect breast cancer cells in a living animal, South Korean researchers have found.
The water-soluble antibody-nanocrystal conjugate binds tightly to the HER2/neu receptor that is overexpressed on certain types of breast cancer and is targeted by the anticancer therapy Herceptin. When injected into mice bearing human breast tumors, it travels quickly to the site of the tumors and renders them visible in an MRI scan or fluorescent microscope.