纳米机器人可能是膀胱癌治疗的未来

一项新的研究探索使用纳米机器人更有效地向患者分发抗肿瘤药物。结果可能会对治疗的进展产生巨大影响。

A new study explores the use of nanobots to distribute tumor-killing medications more efficiently to patients. The researchers employed tiny self-propelled machines that could penetrate deeper into bladder cancer tumors when compared to current methods. The results could have a resounding effect on treatment moving forward. Here's everything you need to know.

一项新的研究探索使用纳米机器人更有效地向患者分发抗肿瘤药物。研究人员使用了微型自走式机器，与目前的方法相比，它们可以更深入地渗透到膀胱癌肿瘤中。结果可能会对治疗的进展产生巨大影响。这是您需要了解的一切。

Bladder Cancer

膀胱癌

Bladder cancer is one of the leading causes of death around the world. A recent study by the American Cancer Society projected around 82K people will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2023 alone. Of those diagnosed, around 16.5K will not survive the ordeal. As such, it's easy to see why there's considerable effort put towards helping to reduce the number of people who will be affected by bladder cancer in the coming years.

膀胱癌是世界范围内导致死亡的主要原因之一。美国癌症协会最近的一项研究预计，仅 2023 年就有约 8.2 万人被诊断患有膀胱癌。在确诊的人中，约有 16,500 人无法渡过难关。因此，很容易理解为什么要付出巨大的努力来帮助减少未来几年受膀胱癌影响的人数。

The main causes of bladder cancer are smoking, workplace exposure to carcinogens, dietary factors, genes, diesel exhaust exposure, and radiotherapy. Notably, around 75% of confirmed bladder cancer tumors are non-muscle-invasive, meaning the cancer is located only on the inner layer of cells.

膀胱癌的主要原因是吸烟、工作场所接触致癌物质、饮食因素、基因、柴油机尾气接触和放射治疗。值得注意的是，大约 75% 已确诊的膀胱癌肿瘤是非肌肉浸润性的，这意味着癌症仅位于细胞内层。

Current Treatment

目前的治疗

The current methods of treating bladder cancer are effective and not dangerous. However, they leave lots of room for improvement. The most common procedure involves administering drugs directly to the bladder. The problem with treating bladders versus other organs is that it's designed to flush out toxins with urine constantly.

目前治疗膀胱癌的方法是有效且无危险的。然而，它们还有很大的改进空间。最常见的手术是将药物直接注射到膀胱。与其他器官相比，治疗膀胱的问题在于它的设计目的是不断用尿液排出毒素。

This urine, coupled with sedimentation, results in a low therapeutic efficacy. Drugs can find it hard to fully diffuse in a urine-rich environment that is constantly swapping out fluids to remain clean. Additionally, it's difficult to get the medication in all corners of the bladder, which results in some cell layers being untreated.

这种尿液加上沉淀，导致治疗效果低下。药物很难在富含尿液的环境中完全扩散，因为尿液会不断交换液体以保持清洁。此外，药物很难到达膀胱的各个角落，这导致一些细胞层得不到治疗。

These untreated cells can become future tumors and lead to the patient having to undergo multiple procedures and monitoring to ensure effectiveness for the following 5 years after treatment. Thankfully, researchers have put many years into figuring out the best way to deliver these life-giving drugs, and this latest development shows massive potential.

这些未经治疗的细胞可能成为未来的肿瘤，导致患者必须接受多次手术和监测，以确保治疗后 5 年内的有效性。值得庆幸的是，研究人员花费了多年时间来寻找提供这些赋予生命的药物的最佳方法，这一最新进展显示出巨大的潜力。

Nanobots Study

纳米机器人研究

The study, “Urease-powered nanobots for radionuclide bladder cancer therapy,” was published in Nature Nanotechnology. In the paper, scientists discuss the use of radiolabeled mesoporous silica-based urease-powered nanobots to improve bladder cancer treatment procedures. Specifically, the engineers wanted to see how the nanoparticles penetrated the bladder walls and dispersed across the organs.

这项研究“脲酶驱动的纳米机器人用于放射性核素膀胱癌治疗”发表在《自然纳米技术》上。在论文中，科学家们讨论了使用放射性标记的介孔二氧化硅基脲酶驱动的纳米机器人来改善膀胱癌的治疗程序。具体来说，工程师们想了解纳米颗粒如何穿透膀胱壁并分散在器官中。

Source – Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and CIC biomaGUNE.

来源 – 加泰罗尼亚生物工程 (IBEC) 和 CIC biomaGUNE。

Nanomachines

纳米机器

The nanobots used in this experiment are shaped like porous spheres. They Are made of silica and are designed to self-propel when exposed to the protein urease, which is found in urine. The researchers monitored as the silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) moved about the organ, reaching the deepest corners. Specifically, the nanobots move using ammonia and CO2 created by the asymmetric decomposition of urease around the device.

本实验中使用的纳米机器人形状像多孔球体。它们由二氧化硅制成，设计为在暴露于尿液中的蛋白质脲酶时自行推进。研究人员监测了二氧化硅纳米颗粒（MSNP）在器官周围移动并到达最深处的角落。具体来说，纳米机器人利用设备周围脲酶不对称分解产生的氨和二氧化碳来移动。

Test

测试

The testing phase involved two lab mice, vivo and ex vivo. Both mice suffered from bladder cancer tumors located deep within their organs. The researchers injected nanoparticles directly into the patients so the team could study the maneuverability of the nanoparticles and their accumulation within the organ. Notably, the mice were made to change position every 30 minutes to help facilitate equal dispersion across the organ. Here's what was learned.

测试阶段涉及两只实验室小鼠，体内和离体。两只小鼠都患有位于器官深处的膀胱癌肿瘤。研究人员将纳米颗粒直接注射到患者体内，这样团队就可以研究纳米颗粒的可操作性及其在器官内的积累。值得注意的是，小鼠每 30 分钟改变一次位置，以帮助促进整个器官的均匀分散。这是学到的内容。

Murine Tests

小鼠测试

Murine tests were used to study the level of penetration achieved by the nanoparticles. To accomplish this task, the team used radio-iodinated nanobots. The team relied on the commonly used Iodine-131 and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to see exactly what layers were treated.

小鼠测试用于研究纳米粒子所达到的渗透水平。为了完成这项任务，该团队使用了放射性碘纳米机器人。该团队依靠常用的 Iodine-131 和正电子发射断层扫描 (PET) 成像来准确查看哪些层受到了处理。

Optical System

光学系统

The engineers created a new fluorescence microscopy system developed at IRB Barcelona. This new optical testing process provides an in-depth 3d model demonstrating penetration levels across the organ. Specifically, a system that used Label-free optical contrast based on polarization-dependent scattered light-sheet microscopy of cleared bladders made the process easier. It eliminated the light usually refracted by the liver, which made it much easier to confirm the nanoparticle's movement.

工程师们在巴塞罗那 IRB 开发了一种新的荧光显微镜系统。这种新的光学测试过程提供了深入的 3D 模型，展示了整个器官的渗透水平。具体来说，使用基于偏振相关散射光片显微镜的无标记光学对比系统对透明膀胱进行了简化。它消除了通常由肝脏折射的光线，这使得确认纳米颗粒的运动变得更加容易。

Results

结果

The test results were eye-opening. The new process was able to achieve far better dispersion and penetration versus traditional methods. Specifically, a single dose of urea-powered, radionuclide-carrying nanorobots successfully reduced the size of tumors in the test subjects by 90%. Interestingly, the team discovered that the nanobots were able to break down the wall of the bladder and the extracellular wall of the tumor by altering Ph levels.

测试结果令人大开眼界。与传统方法相比，新工艺能够实现更好的分散和渗透。具体来说，单剂量的尿素驱动、携带放射性核素的纳米机器人成功地将测试对象的肿瘤大小缩小了 90%。有趣的是，研究小组发现纳米机器人能够通过改变 Ph 值水平来破坏膀胱壁和肿瘤的细胞外壁。

Benefits

好处

There are several benefits that the new bladder cancer study makes possible. For one, it shows enhanced diffusion and mixing capabilities. As such, it makes treatments more effective. The self-propelled nanobots can enter and spread across the bladder using urine as the catalyst, creating a more efficient approach.

新的膀胱癌研究有几个好处。其一，它显示出增强的扩散和混合能力。因此，它使治疗更加有效。自驱动纳米机器人可以使用尿液作为催化剂进入并扩散到膀胱，从而创造出一种更有效的方法。

Pierce Tumor Wall

刺穿肿瘤壁

The new process sent nanobots colliding with the urothelium. In the past

新过程让纳米机器人与尿路上皮发生碰撞。在过去