Studies Tuned sperm bring anticancer drugs to the uterus

New method against abdominal cancer with sperm as an active ingredient feeder

Sperm are perhaps the new drug suppliers for the drug treatment of abdominal tumors. Scientists at Chemnitz University of Technology are currently developing a new method in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research that may be suitable for the treatment of certain abdominal cancers. Sperm should deliver the drug to the uterus.

The promising basic research offers a new approach to the treatment of cancer cells in the uterus or in the cervix. The research team around Prof. dr. Oliver Schmidt has succeeded in a laboratory attempt to use cattle sperm as a carrier for anti-cancer drugs. The sperm treated with the drug is equipped with a specially designed "nano engine" from the 3D printer and can thus be controlled directly to the cancer cells, where they release the drug. The first study results were published on the scientific portal "ACS Nano".

In the future, sperm with micromotors will transport an anti-cancer drug directly to the tumor cell. (Image: Dr_Kateryna / fotolia.com)

Tuned sperm

At the heart of this research is a special manufacturing process for the production of nano-structures. A four-arm microtube designed in 3D nanolithography is manufactured by a 3D printer. The diameter of the so-called "tetrapod" is about the size of a tenth of the human hair. The "tetrapod" is coated with iron and applied to a single sperm. The scientists were now able to control the manipulated sperm using a magnetic field.

Use directly on site

The sperm was treated with the drug "doxorubicin", which was approved for the treatment of abdominal tumors. It was then directed by the scientists directly to the cancer cell, where the drug was released and thereby some of the cancer cells died off after a short time. But the research is still in its infancy. The first experiments in Petri dishes have already been successful. However, some sperm died after being treated with doxorubicin.

The future of "nanotechnology sperm"

Now, far-reaching experiments are underway to test the efficiency and biocompatibility of the technology. Subsequently, the scientists are planning first animal experiments. Tests on human beings are still a long way off, according to the researchers.

Sperm are the better syringes

"As an active substance carrier, sperm have the great advantage that they can stay in the uterus for a long time because of their natural nature," explains Professor Schmidt. Sperm are capable of delivering large amounts of drug, and their efficient and powerful self-propulsion, as well as the ability to penetrate cell walls, allow them to inject directly into the cancer cell.

A new research complex is emerging

A new research building is currently being built on the campus of the Chemnitz University of Technology: Center for Materials, Architectures and Integration of Nanomembranes. Here, the development of special micromotors and the use of flexible nanomembranes will be intensified. (Vb)