Participants of the First International Symposium “Physics, Engineering and Technologies for Biomedicine”, held in MEPhI, have spoken of the many achievements of scientists, who, as the saying goes, all together attacked oncology in recent years. A newspaper “Poisk” asked the Deputy Director of the Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine MEPhI, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Viktor Timoshenko to tell about very promising method of dealing with this disease, allowing to tame the treachery of the tumor.
“We have studied the ability of photoexcited silicon nanoparticles to emit fluorescent light, and to activate molecular oxygen and to burn biological objects under certain conditions,” Viktor says. “And we decided that this effect can be used to detect cancer cells in photodynamic therapy of this disease. It became clear that silicon nanoparticles – our invisible and intelligent assistants – are able to quickly detect malignant tumors and to destroy them with safe for a human way. It is clear that today we are not talking about the introduction in the clinic of operative universal method of treatment of cancer patients, but only about the development of a nontypical scientific approach.
The difficulty is that cancer cells don’t differ a lot from healthy one in its structure. But the disease lies in the fact that they run out of body’s control and begin to multiply rapidly – this is how tumor forms, which can be diagnosed by different methods. But now it’s very difficult to win cancer – the time is lost. Disease must be captured at the very beginning, but it needs to recognize which cell has ceased to comply with a body and began to develop into malignant. This is the problem we had to solve.
For early diagnosis of cancer we considered several methods of physical influence on the nanoparticles: light, ultrasound and radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation, which practically knows no barriers. Acting individually, they need to quickly identify nascent tumor, presenting strong evidence able to persuade physicians. In the diagnosis they outperform traditional techniques such as x-ray and biochemical analysis.
These diagnostic methods are combined by nanocrystals or nanoparticles of silicon – we have high hopes of them. Silicon is under your feet – it is the foundation of the earth's crust. He also has another important advantage: it is non-toxic to the human body. Note that the silicon is present in the body in the form of trace elements, for example in bones and hair. We obtain nanoparticles from the most pure samples of silicon single crystals, containing no impurities and is therefore totally safe for humans. And after completing its mission – diagnosing and hitting the tumor – they dissolve in the body remaining no trace. We learned to manage these amazing particles, to activate them in a certain way, so they can diagnose the cancer and destroy its cells.
Full interview on the website of the “Poisk” newspaper (in Russian)
