Prostate cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths among American men and is most treatable when caught in its earliest stages. Research presented today during the 102nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association in Anaheim, Ca. provided further evidence supporting regular prostate-cancer screening and offered new insights into disease progression and the hormonal treatment of recurrent disease. A special session for media highlighting this research was held on May 20 at 9:00 a.m. PDT and was moderated by AUA spokesman Christopher L. Amling, M.D.

The use of targeted nanoparticles offers promising techniques for cancer treatment. Researchers in the laboratory of Mark E. Davis at the California Institute of Technology have been using small interfering RNA (siRNA), sometimes known as silencing RNA, to "silence" specific genes that are implicated in certain malignancies. One of the primary challenges associated with this type of therapy is delivering the therapeutic agent into the body and then to the tumor in a safe and effective manner. By using targeted nanoparticles, researchers have demonstrated that systemically delivered siRNA can slow the growth of tumors in mice without eliciting the toxicities often associated with cancer therapies. The results of this research are being presented this week at the NSTI Nanotech 2007 Conference in Santa Clara, CA.

The ability to regenerate nerve cells in the body could reduce the effects of trauma and disease in a dramatic way. In two presentations at the NSTI Nanotech 2007 Conference, researchers describe the use of nanotechnology to enhance the regeneration of nerve cells. In the first method, developed at the University of Miami, researchers show how magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) may be used to create mechanical tension that stimulates the growth and elongation of axons of the central nervous system neurons. The second method from the University of California, Berkeley uses aligned nanofibers containing one or more growth factors to provide a bioactive matrix where nerve cells can regrow.

A nanocomposite particle can be constructed so that it has a mix of properties that would not otherwise happen in nature. By combining an organic matrix with metallic clusters that can absorb light, it is possible to incorporate such particles into cells and then destroy those targeted cells with a laser. In a presentation at the NSTI Nanotech 2007 Conference, researchers describe work conducted at the NanoBiotechnology Center, Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, regarding the creation and characterization of a dendrimer nanocomposite (DNC) matrix containing silver clusters that can be used to target and destroy melanoma cancer cells.