Nanoparticles extracted from tea offer hope of new lung cancer treatment
Somebody put the kettle on: nanoparticles extracted from tea leaves can inhibit the growth of lung cancer cells, killing up to 80 per cent of them, researchers at Swansea University have found. The team made the discovery by accident when testing out a new method of creating quantum dots – tiny semi-conducting particles measuring less than 10 nanometres in size that display a wide range of unique properties.
Quantum dots have shown promise in several different applications, including computers, solar cells, healthcare and tumour imaging. However, they are complicated and expensive to manufacture and create toxic by-products.
After attempting to create a method of producing non-toxic nanoparticles using extracts from tea leaves for use in the imaging of tumours, the team noticed something astounding: the quantum dots they had created were penetrating into the pores of the cancer cells and killing them from the inside out.
“Building on this exciting discovery, the next step is to scale up our operation, hopefully with the help of other collaborators,” said Dr Sudhagar Pitchaimuthu, who was a lead researcher on the project. “We want to investigate the role of tea leaf extract in cancer cell imaging, and the interface between quantum dots and the cancer cell. We would like to set up a ‘quantum dot factory’ which will allow us to explore more fully the ways in which they can be used.”