Researchers in the UK and China have developed a new type of nanoparticle that heats up to a temperature that kills cancer cells but not high enough to damage healthy tissue..

In a paper published recently in the journal Nanoscale, researchers from the University of Surrey in the UK and Dalian University of Technology in China describe how they developed and tested "

Hyperthermia, or thermotherapy, is a type of treatment that uses heat to shrink or destroy a tumor without damaging healthy tissue.. Its use is not as common and is most often used in combination with other treatments (such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy).

When this method was first proposed for the treatment of cancer about 30 years ago, hyperthermia was received with great enthusiasm..

However, interest in it soon faded due to the fact that there was a problem with controlling the temperature affecting the fabric..

The optimal temperature range for hyperthermia to be effective should be between 42°C and 45°C.. Maintaining the temperature within this range can weaken or kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue and prevent side effects.. This is the crux of the new study..

Magnetic nanoparticles are tiny particles that react to a magnetic field, for example, by heating up.. The researchers saw this as a loophole by which to maintain the required temperature in the treatment of cancer.. The essence of the method is to introduce nanoparticles into the area where the tumor is located and heat them with a magnetic field outside the patient's body..

aspect. net.