Israeli drug-free nanomedicine gives fresh hope in battling aggressive breast cancer

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.”

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition

by email and never miss our top stories

By signing up, you agree to the terms

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 about 13% of all breast cancers, it accounts for 40% of breast cancer-related mortality, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Zinger explained that the cancer cells employ a range of strategies to dodge a patient’s immune system.

One of their tactics is to recruit white blood cells, known as macrophages, which normally fight bacteria, viruses, and other infections in the body.

The tumor hijacks these macrophages so that they feed it and help it grow instead of fighting it.

The unique nanoparticles developed by the researchers, called MPsomes, are injected into the bloodstream. They flow through the body, flood around the tumors, and block the macrophages from approaching.

Then other immune cells can move in, attack, and shrink the tumors by using the body’s own natural defense mechanisms.

In preclinical testing on mouse models and cell cultures, the MPsomes inhibited tumor growth without causing any observable harm to vital organs.

The researchers said they can manufacture one liter of these MPsome nanoparticles in an hour. Moreover, the particles consist of materials that international regulatory bodies have already classified as safe, a factor that could greatly facilitate the transition to human clinical trials.

“I have been working for years, but I haven’t yet been able to find a shortcut to get to clinical trials,” Zinger said. “That’s one of the major frustrations I have. We know how to cure cancer in mice. Now let’s focus on people.”

“This study from Dr. Assaf Zinger’s research team at the Technion takes an innovative approach to treating ‘triple-negative’ breast cancer,” Asst. Prof. Avi Schroeder of the Technion’s Chemical Engineering Department told The Times of Israel.

Schroeder, who was not involved in the research, said that instead of looking at the cancer cells, Zinger’s team developed “unique” nanoparticles that “target ‘helper’ cells in the tumor environment, making it less supportive of cancer growth and ultimately leading to tumor regression.”

He added that he believes “these exciting findings bring fresh hope to patients battling breast cancer and other cancers too.”

Zinger’s research group is currently developing other nanoparticles to treat neurodegenerative pediatric diseases, traumatic brain injuries, and ovarian cancer. He said he’s focused on early detection of cancer, “because detection is non-invasive.”

The earlier that cancer is detected, he said, the higher the chances of a cure.

“Each year,” Zinger said, “I invite a cancer warrior, someone who fights the disease or has survived the disease, to talk with my students, motivate and inspire them. This connects them to the field and shows them what they are working for. This is our calling.”