In a breakthrough, scientists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have engineered nanoparticles that treat aggressive “triple-negative” breast cancer tumors without chemotherapy or drugs, potentially paving the way for a chemical-free treatment for the deadly disease.

In a peer-reviewed study published in the journal ACS Nano, the researchers’ lab-engineered nanoparticles were able to halt the tumors in female mice.

The project was led by PhD candidate Ofri Vizenblit and assisted by Rawan Mhajne, under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Assaf Zinger, head of the Technion’s Bioinspired Nano Engineering Lab in the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering.

“We managed to design nanoparticles that got the same results as some advanced immunotherapy treatments currently in use,” Zinger told The Times of Israel by telephone.

“We had significant success.”

Zinger said he hopes to advance the technology to human clinical trials.

How breast cancer hijacks the body

Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. It is called triple-negative because it doesn’t have three specific cellular markers: estrogen, progesterone, and a protein known as HER2.

Without these, the cancer is not treatable by conventional hormone therapies. However, it can be treated by chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and certain inhibitors that block the cancer cells from repairing.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2022, roughly 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide, and 670,000 died.

The Israel Cancer Association reports that about 4,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Israel each year, and about 900 die of the disease.

While triple-negative breast cancer accounts for........

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