IIT Madras' Nanoinjection Breakthrough: A Safer, More Potent Weapon Against Breast Cancer

Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality among women worldwide.

Conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, often harm non-cancerous tissues due to systemic drug exposure.

The new nanoinjection system delivers the anticancer drug doxorubicin directly into cancer cells using thermally stable nanoarchaeosomes (NAs) loaded into vertically aligned SiNTs etched onto a silicon wafer.

The approach creates a precise and sustained therapeutic system that minimises damage to healthy cells by combining nanoarchaeosome-based drug encapsulation with silicon nanotube (SiNT)-based intracellular delivery, said the team, including those from Monash University and Deakin University in Australia.

Experiments on in vitro (cell culture) and ex ovo (chick embryo) models, published in the journal Advanced Materials Interfaces, demonstrated that the NAD-SiNTs (Nanoarchaeosome-Doxorubicin-Silicon nanotubes) induced strong cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells, while sparing healthy fibroblasts.

The NAD-SiNTs triggered cell-cycle arrest and necrosis in cancer cells and significantly reduced angiogenesis, the process through which tumours develop new blood vessels, by downregulating key pro-angiogenic factors.

The platform demonstrated 23 times lower inhibitory concentration (IC50) than free doxorubicin, suggesting higher potency at much lower doses, which can directly translate into lower treatment costs and fewer side effects.

"This research could have transformative implications for healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries like India, where access to advanced cancer therapies remains limited by cost. By enabling targeted delivery of smaller doses with higher efficacy, the system can potentially lower the overall expense of cancer treatment and improve patients' quality of life," said Dr. Swathi Sudhakar, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, IIT Madras.

"The platform also aligns with national goals for affordable healthcare innovation and could eventually be adapted for use in treating other forms of cancer," she added.

Unlike other nanoinjection platforms made from carbon or titanium nanotubes, the silicon nanotube-based design is inherently biocompatible and non-toxic, reducing the need for additional surface modifications. This makes it a more reliable and scalable candidate for future clinical translation.

The next phase of research will focus on in vivo validation, long-term toxicity studies, and regulatory assessments to prepare for preclinical and clinical translation.

- IANS