Lasers and Nanoparticles in Cancer Treatment

Steen Madsen, Professor at UNLV and the chair of the Department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Science People have long imbued gold with mystical powers of immortality. Ancient alchemists ate it in search of longevity. There is a researcher at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas working on a technique to prolong life in cancer patients that promises to work much better than simply eating gold. Dr. Steen Madsen is chair of UNVL's Department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences and lead author of a study published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering that proposes sending nanoparticles of gold into a type of brain tumor that is today an almost certain death sentence for its victims. The nanoparticles of gold congregate around the tumor and help amplify the effects of lasers used to kill the tumor. The primary challenge is how to get the gold into the tumor.