Silica cages help anti-cancer antibodies kill tumors in mice

Packaging **anti-cancer drugs** into particles of chemically modified **silica** improve the drugs' ability to fight **skin cancer** in mice, according to new research. Results published May 3 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society online show the honeycombed particles can help anti-cancer antibodies prevent **tumor growth** and prolong the lives of mice. "We are very excited by our preliminary results," said biochemist Chenghong Lei of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, part of the team of PNNL and University of Washington scientists. "We plan to do some additional, larger studies with animals. We hope the results hold up well enough to take it to clinical trials somewhere down the road." More on "PNNL":[ http://www.pnl.gov/news/release.aspx?id=796]

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