NYU Abu Dhabi develops new nanotech to fight breast cancer

Targeted therapy could reduce drastic side effects of chemotherapy in aggressive cancers

A doctor carries out a mammogram examination used to detect breast cancer. Getty Images

Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) are aiming to boost survival rates after developing a new nanotechnology targeting aggressive forms of breast cancer.

The novel treatment delivery method offers new hope for treating triple-negative breast cancer, which tends to grow and spread faster, and has fewer treatment options with a typically worse prognosis.

Targeted drug delivery systems, driven by rapidly advancing biotechnology is breaking new ground in the way cancer is treated.

Research looked at how microscopic nanoparticles, 10,000 times smaller than a human hair, could be loaded with drugs to specifically target cancer cells.

Under conventional chemotherapy, the powerful treatment also destroys white blood cells, depleting the body’s abilities to fight off potentially fatal infections.

That collateral damage could be reduced, as DNA patient profiling allows doctors to understand more about each individual’s needs and how they are likely to respond to certain drugs.

This combined approach could make chemotherapy more effective and less damaging in the future, reducing the impact on women with triple-negative breast cancer.

“In conventional treatments, we inject patients with a drug or cocktail of drugs,” said Ali Trabolsi, programme head of chemistry at NYUAD, who is leading the research.

“It has to be administered on a regular basis, every week or two to make sure the right dose reaches the tumour.

“The problem is, when you inject these cancer patients, the drugs go everywhere and destroy all types of cells. That's why chemotherapy is associated with a large number of side effects like hair loss, loss of appetite, liver damage, heart dysfunction or liver dysfunction, heart damage and nausea.

“A large portion of cancer patients die from the treatment before the cancer. This kind of therapy cannot only differentiate between healthy cells and cancer cells, it is also going to allow us to give each patient the exact treatment they need.”

High cancer rates

This NYUAD research is particularly significant in the UAE, where breast cancer rates are high. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the country, accounting for 11.5 per cent of all cancer fatalities.

Targeted therapy allows scientists to use a fraction of the amount of drugs necessary to kill off cancer cells, while the nanoparticles used limits the amount of chemotherapy that seeps into the body elsewhere.

“This is one of the major benefits because you are delivering the drug to where it's supposed to go,” said Farah Benyettou, a research scientist working on the project.

“Nanoparticles, and drug delivery systems in general, have been proven to enhance the lifetime circulation of the drug in the body. They also enhance the accumulation of the drug in tumours.

“Our goal is personalised medicine, so each patient has their own specific treatment. The idea is to relieve suffering for all cancer patients around the world, as traditional chemotherapy doesn't always work.”

Ali Trabolsi, associate professor of chemistry at NYU Abu Dhabi, led research on treating cancer using microscopic nanoparticles. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Nanotechnology in health care and life sciences is an area ripe for growth, and more drugs are developed to deliver pinpoint accuracy to where they are required.

The global market for drug delivery systems was worth an estimated $102.7 billion in 2023, according to US market analysts BCC Research. Annual growth of 8.8 per cent is expected to continue, seeing market worth climb to $156.8 billion by 2028.

The fast-acting, aggressive triple-negative breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women under 40, with 15 per cent of patients carrying the BRCA gene mutation. Studies suggest obesity and young age at first pregnancy are associated with risk, but breastfeeding can help reduce incidence.

Gruelling treatment

One woman to experience harsh chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer is Celestina Puyo Guinoo, a single woman from the Philippines who works at Al Hamad Aluminium Factory in Umm Al Quwain and has been in the UAE since 2004.

In 2017, during the Pink Caravan Ride breast cancer awareness event in Umm Al Quwain, a routine check-up revealed a concerning mass in her right breast. She took a mammogram that July and was diagnosed with breast cancer in September, undergoing a mastectomy and six cycles of chemotherapy the following February.

Celestina Guinoo said she has chosen to be joyful and grateful following her recovery from breast cancer. Antonie Robertson / The National

“The first year was really hard,” said Ms Guinoo, 43, who lives in Umm Al Quwain. “It is a battle of emotions, as much as the cancer. During chemotherapy, the pain was unexplainable, especially in my bones, and I also had regular hot flushes.

“I told myself that it would not be forever. It took six months from surgery to chemotherapy and I have had to continue taking medication.”

Ms Guinoo would have a debilitating six-hour chemotherapy session every three weeks, for six months. Her medical expenses were covered by the Sharjah-based Friends of Cancer Patients charity and she has been cancer-free since.

“During the chemo, I had to try to sleep, to not experience the dizziness or vomiting,” said Ms Guinoo, who was supported by her mother for her first session but faced the other gruelling rounds of treatment alone.

“Usually, it would take around five days to recover and then I would be thinking about the next session. It was very tiring, exhausting. Luckily, I didn’t have any infection, and I tried to eat healthily and avoid processed food.

“It's really not easy, physically, emotionally, mentally – I choose to be joyful and grateful. My recovery shows there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is not hopeless.”

Healthy living to reduce relapse risk

Two new in-depth scientific reports on diet, nutrition, physical activity and body weight from the World Cancer Research Fund International charity’s Global Cancer Update Programme (CUP Global) offers guidance for people living with and beyond breast cancer.

NYUAD researchers, from left, Farah Benyettou, Ali Trabolsi and Mostafa Khair, have developed groundbreaking nanoparticles designed to target and treat triple-negative breast cancer. Victor Besa / The National

The CUP Global research team at Imperial College London conducted seven systematic reviews, together assessing many thousands of recent research papers, studies and databases. They showed how nutrition, physical activity and body weight affect survival and recurrence.

There is strong evidence that a physically active lifestyle improves health-related quality of life and that a diet high in fibre may improve health outcomes in recovering cancer patients.

Experts suggest people diagnosed with breast cancer should consider increasing their dietary fibre intake, and – unless they are underweight – avoid gaining weight during and after treatment.

“The guidance provided in these reports is about giving people living with cancer the tools they need to take control of their health,” said Dr Sonali Johnson, head of knowledge, advocacy and policy, with the Union for International Cancer Control non-governmental organisation.

“By focusing on practical changes such as improving diet, staying active and managing weight, we can help reduce the risk of cancer coming back and improve the quality of life for so many.

“That can bring us closer to a world where fewer lives are lost to cancer and more people can live healthier, longer lives after diagnosis.”