Attacking Cancer Undercover
Written by Megan Abrams
Edited by Michelle Wong
Jan 31, 2021
Edited by Michelle Wong
Jan 31, 2021
Cancer treatment is thought of as a panic-inducing procedure that not only kills cancerous cells, but also normal, healthy cells. However, what if there was a way to destroy cancerous cells while leaving living healthy cells alone and unharmed? This seemingly impossible task may have been accomplished by a few scientists at Nanyang Technological University.
Indeed, cancer research is an unpredictable field of research where results are not always what is expected; nevertheless, scientists at Nanyang Technological University have seemingly found a ‘hack’ that gave them the results they were anticipating: a way to kill cancer without any chemicals. Using the preconceived information that all cells, including cancerous cells, must obtain certain building blocks for proteins from the foods we eat in order to continue living, the researchers hid the attack against cancer cells within L-phenylalanine, one of the building blocks. By hiding the cancer treatment in a blanket of essential elements the cell needs, it is easily accepted into the cell to be used for making cellular proteins. However, unbeknownst to the cancer cell, underneath the covering there is a recipe for destruction.
Unlike chemotherapy and radiation, this treatment particle that goes into the body, called Nano-PAAM, only impairs cancerous cells. Nano-PAAM causes a reaction to occur in cells that creates a byproduct that can be toxic to cancer cells, but causes no damage to noncancerous cells. The researchers take advantage of the fact that normal cells can handle the toxins produced, which is what gives Nano-PAAM its ability to keep healthy cells alive. The ‘hack’ the scientists have found is that cancer cells are affected by this reaction and die from its toxicity, while normal cells are not affected and continue to live. While this option for curing cancer has yet to be performed on humans, this treatment has shown a lot of potential to be a viable option.
This gives hope for the future of cancer research that other options for treatment are on the brink of being found. The researchers at Nanyang Technological University have given encouragement and insight to patients whose bodies have rejected past cancer treatments and need an alternative way to treat this disease. Using no harsh medicine, but rather a necessary component our body needs, Nano-PAAM is a step in the right direction for future cancer treatment.
Works Cited
Nanyang Technological University. “‘Trojan Horse' Approach to Kill Cancer Cells without Using Drugs.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 23 Sept. 2020. Web. 25 October 2020. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200923124631.htm.