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CHENNAI: A tiny needle system that sends cancer drugs directly into breast cancer cells, while protecting healthy ones, has been developed by researchers from IIT Madras and two Australian universities – Monash University and Deakin University. The nanotechnology injection delivery system packs the anticancer drug, doxorubicin, into special protective bubbles, then pushes it inside cells using needle-shaped silicon tubes on a chip.”It was a study on petri dishes,” said IIT-M assistant professor Dr Swathi Sudhakar, who works with the department of applied mechanics and biomedical engineering. “We could release the drug directly, but that would be faster delivery. So, for sustained release, it was wrapped in a bubble and pushed into it. Lab tests on breast cancer cells showed the drugs stopped cell growth, killed cancer cells, and blocked new blood vessels for tumours,” Dr Sudhakar said.Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting women in both urban and rural areas. In cities such as Chennai, 28% of cancers in women are breast cancers, followed by cervix (14%), ovary (6%), and corpus uteri (4%). Conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation often harm non-cancerous tissues due to systemic drug exposure, causing side effects.Results of the study published in the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Materials Interfaces show the new system worked 23 times better than the drug alone. “It had higher potential even when used in smaller amounts. There is thermal stability and long-term drug release, up to 700 hours, and it addresses common drawbacks of existing nanocarrier systems, such as burst release and poor compatibility,” she said.The technology, they said, is a reliable and scalable candidate for future trials.