Atmospheric pressure plasma assisted synthesis of multi-functional bionanocomposites

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The total economic cost of cancer in the EU was more than £99 billion in 2009 [1] and the cost of diagnosing and treating cancer in the UK is expected to reach £15.3 billion by 2021 [2]. Conventional cancer surgery treatment suffers from various complications such as pain, damage to nearby tissues and possible thrombosis. Other common cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy, have the limitation of drug resistance, lack of selectivity, and lack of solubility. Given these issues associated with treatment safety and effectiveness, scientists are applying tremendous efforts towards new approaches in the fight against cancer. The use of nanotechnology in cancer treatment offers some exciting possibilities.The proposed research involves innovation and collaboration among cross-disciplinary experts (materials science, physics and cancer research) to resolve some of the major challenges in the application of nanotechnology to cancer. The PI proposes to develop a novel technology that allows incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles (NP) into a hydrogel without using toxic chemicals or surfactants, while ensuring the NP dispersion and stability. The resulting material will be an injectable "smart" system useful for certain cancer treatment, with multiple functions including 1) controlled drug delivery 2) inducing heat under an externally applied magnetic field and 3) facilitating bio-imaging. [1] Luengo-Fernandez, R., et al., Economic burden of cancer across the European Union: a population-based cost analysis. The Lancet Oncology, 2013. 14(12): p. 1165-1174.[2] Bupa Cancer diagnosis and treatment: a 2021 projection.