York researchers look for crowdfunding for nanofilament magnetic nanoparticle delivery
Nanject patch will deliver targeted cancer drugs via the skin
Researchers at the University of York are designing a patch that will deliver targeted cancer drugs via the skin. The Nanject patch has many tiny polymer nanofilaments, so small that the patient does not feel them. The filaments deliver the medication through the hair follicles in the skin, where it can get into the bloodstream and travel around the body to wherever it is most needed.
Researchers Atif Syed and Zakareya Hussein say much of the background research on the drug delivery mechanism, and using nanoparticles to target cancer cells, has already been completed and they are now seeking funding for their project on crowdfunding platform Microryza to pay for the chemicals and materials they need to start developing prototypes.
Hussein said: ‘The hair follicles provide access to the fatty subcutaneous layer beneath the skin, which is where many vaccines are normally injected... Normal injections tend to damage the capillaries, causing internal bleeding – Nanject prevents that, as medicines are absorbed directly into intact capillaries.’
Using a simple skin patch like the Nanject will allow drugs to be self-administered, making it ideal in remote locations or developing countries with little access to professional healthcare. It would also remove the risks of infection associated with reusing improperly sterilised needles as capillaries will shield patients from bacterial contamination if the Nanject is accidentally left unsterilised.
The magnetic nanoparticles are coated with antigens, which will attach to cancerous cells whenever they encounter them. The patient is then treated in an MRI machine – the oscillations of the high-strength magnetic field cause the nanoparticles to heat up, destroying the cancer cells around them.
