Chemotherapy Cbsolete? “Ceramide Nanoliposome” Uses Liposomal Delivery To Target And kill Cancer Cells Without Harming Healthy Cells

22 July 2017

 - Penn State researchers have developed a new compound, called ceramide nanoliposome, that has the potential to replace radiation and chemotherapy in the future. This new drug is able to smart kill tumors, meaning it targets and destroys cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.

In 2005, James Adair, professor of materials science and engineering, biomedical engineering, and pharmacology and partner Mark Kester, director of NanoStar Institute at the University of Virginia and former professor of pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, founded the biopharmaceutical company Keystone Nano with the goal of gaining the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval for nanoscale biomedical products, the Penn State News website reported.

After years of research and testing, the FDA finally gave the green light to begin phase one human clinical trials to assess the use of ceramide nanoliposome as a possible cancer treatment. With the trials, Keystone Nano hopes to find safe dosing levels and examine the compound’s efficacy as an alternative cancer-fighting therapy.