SoylentNews

Arthur T Knackerbracket writes:

Another Phys.org story:

In a move akin to adding chemical weapons to a firebomb, researchers at Duke University have devised a method for making a promising nanoscale cancer treatment even more deadly to tumors.

The invention allows an extremely thin layer of hydrogels (think contact lenses) to be deposited on the surface of nanoshells—particles about a hundred nanometers wide designed to absorb infrared light and generate heat. When heated, these special hydrogels lose their water content and release any molecules (such as drugs) trapped within.

By depositing the hydrogels on tumor-torching nanoshells and loading the new coating with chemotherapeutic drugs, a formidable one-two punch is formed.

The technique is described in a paper published in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering on July 13, 2015, that was highlighted as an ACS Editor's Choice.