Quantum dots deliver Vitamin D to tumors for possible inflammatory breast cancer

[tamim_saif]

The shortened daylight of a Maine winter may make for long, dark nights -- but it has shone a light on a novel experimental approach to fighting inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), an especially deadly form of breast cancer. The new approach enlists the active form of Vitamin D3, called calcitriol, which is delivered therapeutically by quantum dots. Quantum dots are an engineered light-emitting nanoscale delivery vehicle. This new preliminary work shows the dots can be used to rapidly move high concentrations of calcitriol to targeted tumor sites where cancer cells accumulate, and also through the lymph system where the cancer spreads. With this approach, the calcitriol can fight on multiple fronts and the targeted location can be visualized with an imaging system tracking the quantum dots.

[source:  http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/02/01/quantum.dots.deliver.vitamin.d.tumors.possible.inflammatory.breast.cancer.treatment]