Preparing an anticancer drug carrier via crystallization of nano-particles

A research team led by Prof. MA Guanghui with the CAS Institute of Processing Engineering has developed a one-pot approach to couple the crystallization of CaCO3 nanoparticles and the in-situ symmetry-breaking assembly of these crystallites into hollow spherical shells under the templating effect of a soluble starch. Their work was published in a recent issue of Journal of American Chemical Society.
Their further functional studies using HP-a as an anticancer drug carrier demonstrated its advantages for localizing drug release by the pH value-sensitive structure and enhancing cytotoxicity by increasing cellular uptake, perinuclear accumulation, and nuclear entry.
The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, CAS, and Ministry of Science and Technology, respectively.