Solid tumours are highly heterogeneous structures surrounded by a dense extracellular matrix. They also lack lymphatic drainage and are more acidic than surrounding heathy tissue. Tumours thus have an elevated interstitial fluid pressure that acts as a physiological barrier to therapeutic drugs. A team of researchers in China has now developed a new set of nanoparticles composed of diblock copolymers and the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin that disintegrate in the acid environment of a tumour, so allowing the drug to penetrate it more easily…….
http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/69664
