Experimental treatment kills prostate tumor cells while reawakening antitumor immunity

Prostate-targeted, engineered nanoparticles made of amorphous silica are effective in killing prostate tumors directly while enhancing antitumor immunity, according to a preclinical study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering. The particles, derived from silicon dioxide, a common component of healthy foods or fossilized sedimentary structures from single-celled organisms, induced several complete remissions of aggressive tumors in mouse models, supporting the further investigation of their use in clinical trials. Originally developed for medical imaging applications, these particles – known as ultrasmall fluorescent core-shell silica nanoparticles, or Cornell Prime dots (C’ dots) – have...