News: March 25, 2006

Nanomaterials for Cancer Detection and Treatment

Professor Wole Soboyejo was featured in a Princeton Alumni Weekly article that detailed his work on improving methods to detect and treat cancer using designer nanoparticles. Breast and prostate cancer cells overexpress receptors for luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, or LHRH, which is responsible for regulating the production of estrogen and testosterone. In cancer cells, there are about four times as many receptors for LHRH as in normal breast or prostate cells. By coating nanoparticles of magnetite with LHRH, Soboyejo's team found that the nanoparticles will preferentially seek out the cancer cells and since the magnetite displays clearly on MRI scans, earlier detection of the cancer is possible.

For more information please see the Princeton Alumni Weekly article.