Tiny magnets used in anti-cancer gene therapy

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON (Reuters) - Tiny magnets have been used to deliver anti-cancer gene therapy in mice in a development that could make the treatment much more effective, scientists said on Thursday.

The idea behind gene therapy is to replace faulty genes. But the approach has had mixed success because of the difficulty of getting genes to the right part of the body.

One option has been to use viruses to carry genes but this risks triggering an immune system reaction.

Now British researchers think they may have cracked the problem.

By inserting magnetic nanoparticles into monocytes -- a type of white blood cell -- and injecting them into the bloodstream, they have been able to guide them around the body using an external magnet.

Using this technique, many more cells armed with anti-cancer genes reached and invaded malignant tumors, Claire Lewis of the University of Sheffield and colleagues reported in the journal Gene Therapy.

"The use of nanoparticles to enhance the uptake of therapeutically armed cells by tumors could herald a new era in gene therapy -- one in which delivery of the gene therapy vector to the diseased site is much more effective," Lewis said.

The new approach could also be used to deliver therapeutic genes to treat other conditions like arthritic joints or heart disease, she believes.