Breakthrough in Cancer Gene Therapy: Nanoscale Biological Particles Play Pivotal Roles

Researchers from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Solna, Sweden have made a significant advancement in the field of cancer gene therapy, discovering that nanoscale biological particles play crucial roles in health and disease. The study, supported by Vetenskapsradet, Karolinska Institutet, and the Human Frontier Science Program, among others, has led to the development of a novel method for size-based high-resolution particle separation, which has far-reaching implications for biomedicine and environmental sciences.

Key Takeaways:

• The study found that nanoscale biological particles, such as lipoproteins (10-80 nm) or extracellular vesicles (30-200 nm), play pivotal roles in health and disease, including conditions like cardiovascular disorders and cancer.
• The research concluded that the novel method, called elasto-inertial focusing, offers a powerful method to manipulate particles without external fields, achieving consistent focusing of nanoparticles as small as 25 nm.
• The study has implications for biomedicine and environmental sciences, marking a significant advancement toward size-based high-resolution particle separation.
• The research has been peer-reviewed and published in the journal Small.
• The novel method could be used in diagnostics, quality control, and nanomedicine development.
• The study involved a team of researchers from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, including Javier Cruz, Selim Tanriverdi, Shahriar Habibi, and others.

Statistics:

• The study focused on particles in the size range of 10-80 nm and 30-200 nm.
• The novel method can achieve consistent focusing of nanoparticles as small as 25 nm.
• The study has implications for biomedicine and environmental sciences, and could lead to new applications in diagnostics, quality control, and nanomedicine development.

Sources:

Small, 2025, "Sheathless Elasto-Inertial Focusing of Sub-25 Nm Particles in Straight Microchannels", Wiley-v C H Verlag Gmbh, Postfach 101161, 69451 Weinheim, Germany.

Nanotechnology Weekly, July 7, 2025, p 861.