Minuscule diamonds could dramatically improve the success of a common breast cancer drug, researchers reported last night.
The nano-diamonds were "studded" onto the drug doxorubicin in a laboratory study.
Researchers said they reduced side-effects and improved the effectiveness of the drugs.
Scientists believe they nano-diamonds can circulate in the body without causing damage – but they can also help the drug break through the membranes of cancer cells.
The theory has now been tested on laboratory mice given a normally deadly dose of the drug. Instead the diamond-backed drugs proved more effective and stayed in circulation ten times longer than an untreated drug.
Researchers led by Dean Ho, of the University of California, San Francisco, USA, have reported their work in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Dr Ho reports: "The results indicate that nano-diamonds enabled doxorubicin to be retained within tumours longer than the normal drug and also limited unnecessary drug exposure to healthy tissues.
"The team plans to next test the nano-diamonds in larger animal studies."
Science Translational Medicine March 9 2011
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