Israeli and European researchers on Sunday unveiled a new approach to treating cancerous tumors by using biodegradable nanoparticles to simultaneously deliver two drugs to amplify their effects.
The findings offer hope for patients with breast, skin, pancreatic and brain cancer.
The research team, led by Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro and doctoral student Shani Koshrovski-Michael from the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Tel Aviv University’s School of Medicine, collaborated with an extensive network of experts across Israel, Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The study’s findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed Science Advances journal.
Satchi-Fainaro explained the motivation behind the innovation: “Cancer treatment often involves a combination of drugs working synergistically to enhance their anti-cancer effects. However, differences in their chemical and physical properties—such as degradation rates and tumor penetration capabilities—often prevent them from reaching the tumor simultaneously, limiting their combined efficacy.”