COMPOSITION AND METHOD FOR CANCER TREATMENT USING TARGETED CARBON NANOTUBES

摘要

The present invention is a method for detecting and destroying cancer tumors. The method is based on the concept of associating a linking protein or linking peptide such as, but not limited to, annexin V or other annexins to single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) to form a protein-SWNT complex. Said linking protein or peptide can selectively bind to cancerous cells, especially tumor vasculature endothelial cells, rather than to healthy ones by binding to cancer-specific external receptors such as anionic phospholipids including phosphatidylserine expressed on the outer surfaces of cancer cells only. Irradiation of bound SWNTs with specific wavelength is then used to detect and destroy those cells to which the SWNTs are bound via the linking protein or peptide thereby destroying the tumor or cancer cells.