Scientists at Oregon State University say they have engineered an iron-based nanomaterial that exploits acidic, peroxide-rich conditions inside tumors to generate two types of reactive oxygen species and kill cancer cells while largely sparing healthy cells. In mouse tests using human breast-cancer tumors, the team reports complete tumor regression without observable adverse effects, though the work remains preclinical.
Scientists at Oregon State University (OSU), led by Oleh Taratula, Olena Taratula and Chao Wang of the OSU College of Pharmacy, report developing a new nanomaterial intended to advance chemodynamic therapy (CDT), an experimental cancer-treatment approach. The study was published in Advanced Functional Materials.
How the approach is designed to work
According to the researchers, CDT aims to exploit chemical conditions commonly found in tumors. Compared with normal tissue, cancer cells tend to be more acidic and contain higher levels of hydrogen peroxide—conditions that can be used to drive the formation of cell-damaging reactive oxygen species.
Traditional CDT approaches primarily generate hydroxyl radicals, which can damage key cellular components such as lipids, proteins and DNA. Newer CDT strategies have also generated singlet oxygen, another reactive oxygen species named for its electron spin state.
Oleh Taratula said existing CDT agents typically produce either hydroxyl radicals or singlet oxygen, but not both, and may lack catalytic activity needed to sustain strong reactive oxygen species production—limitations that, he said, can translate into only partial tumor regression in preclinical studies.
A metal-organic framework intended to generate two reactive species
To address these constraints, the OSU team developed a CDT “nanoagent” built from an iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF). The researchers said the structure can produce both hydroxyl radicals and singlet oxygen and showed strong toxicity across multiple cancer cell lines while causing minimal harm to noncancerous cells.
Results in mice and next steps
In preclinical experiments in mice bearing human breast-cancer cells, Olena Taratula said systemic administration of the nanoagent led to tumor accumulation, robust reactive oxygen species generation and complete tumor eradication without observed adverse effects. The researchers reported that tumors disappeared and did not return during the study period, and the animals showed no signs of harmful side effects.
The study also listed additional OSU contributors including Kongbrailatpam Shitaljit Sharma, Yoon Tae Goo, Vladislav Grigoriev, Constanze Raitmayr, Ana Paula Mesquita Souza and Manali Parag Phawde. Funding was reported from the National Cancer Institute (part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Before moving toward human trials, the researchers said they plan to test the approach in additional cancer types, including aggressive pancreatic cancer, to assess whether it can work across a wider range of tumors.
