According to
a study. Sperm could in the near future carry anticancer drugs in the cervix.
Sperm, new
weapon against cancer of the cervix? This is a very serious work carried out by
researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research
(Germany), published in the journal ACS Nan . They had the idea of using
spermatozoa to transport chemotherapy to the tumor. Male gametes play the role
of delivery carrier here. They are very mobile: thanks to their flagella, they
are able to trace the female reproductive system. Spermatozoa can also transfer
the membrane of a cell.
Avoid the side effects of
chemotherapy
The spermatozoon (renamed
"spermbot", which means "robot-spermatozoid") has been
modified. It contains an anticancer drug, doxorubicin (or adriamycin), and it
is equipped with a kind of micro-harness containing iron to be guided to the
tumor by an electro-magnetic device. According to the researchers, thanks to
this experiment, carried out in the laboratory, 87% of the cancer cells were
destroyed in three days.
By targeting
only cancer cells, treatments would cause fewer side effects, often encountered
during chemotherapy (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.). Chemotherapy has the
major disadvantage of not distinguishing cancer cells from healthy cells. The
"spermbot" could also, according to the researchers, be used against
endometriosis or ectopic pregnancies. Nevertheless, for the moment, the system
has only been tested in the laboratory, and it raises many questions. Among
them: how to avoid a pregnancy to the treated patient?
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