Nanosurgery and the Fight Against Cancer: Major Breakthrough at Polytechnique Montréal

Researchers at Polytechnique Montréal have succeeded in changingthe genetic material of cancer cells using a brand-new transfectionmethod. This major breakthrough in nanosurgery opens the door to newmedical applications, among others for the treatment of cancers.

A light scalpel to treat cancerous cells

The unique method developed by Professor Michel Meunier and histeam uses a femtosecond laser (a laser with ultra-short pulses) alongwith gold nanoparticles. Deposited on the cells, these nanoparticlesconcentrate the laser's energy and make it possible to performnanometric-scale surgery in an extremely precise and non-invasivefashion. The technique allows to change the expression of genes inthe cancer cells and could be used to slow their migration andprevent the formation of metastases.

The technique perfected by Professor Meunier and his colleaguesis a promising alternative to conventional cellular transfectionmethods, such as lipofection. The experiment, carried out in Montréallaboratories on malignant human melanoma cells, demonstrated 70%optoporation effectiveness, as well as a transfection performancethree times higher than lipofection treatment. In addition, unlikeconventional treatment, which destroys the physical integrity of thecells, the new method assures cellular viability, with a toxicity ofless than 1%. The study's results were published in the prestigiousjournal Biomaterials.

This major scientific breakthrough could lead to the developmentof promising applications, including new therapeutic approaches inoncology, neurology and cardiology.

Professor Meunier's team works in collaboration with researchersfrom the Department of Medicine at the McGill University HealthCentre. Their research work receives financial support from the FondsQuébécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies (FQRNT),the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Canada ResearchChairs program (CRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research(CIHR) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

About Polytechnique Montreal

Founded in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of Canada'sleading engineering teaching and research institutions. It is thelargest engineering university in Québec for the size of its studentbody and the scope of its research activities. With over 38,500graduates, Polytechnique Montréal has graduated 25% of the currentmembers of the l'Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. Polytechniqueprovides training in 16 engineering specialties, has 242 professorsand more than 7,100 students. It has an annual operating budget ofover $200 million, including a $72-million research budget.

REFERENCE: Baumgart J. et al., Off-resonance plasmonic enhancedfemtosecond laser optoporation and transfection of cancer cells,Biomaterials (2012), doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.11.062

- Photos of Professor Meunier and his team, as well as images illustrating the study, are available upon request. - Website for Polytechnique Montréal's Laser Processing and Plasmonics Laboratory: http://www.groupes.polymtl.ca/lpl - http://www.groupes.polymtl.ca/lpl/?q=en/welcome

For further information:

Annie Touchette Senior Communications Advisor Communications and Recruitment Office Polytechnique Montréal Tel.: +1-514-340-4711, ext. 4415 Cell: +1-514-231-8133 annie.touchette@polymtl.ca

ots Originaltext: Ecole Polytechnique de MontrealIm Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Quelle: http://www.presseportal.de/pm/100337/2199840/nanosurgery-and-the-fight-against-cancer-major-breakthrough-at-polytechnique-montr-al/api