The development of chemotherapeutic agents with discerning anti-cancer actions is unattractive due to the emergence of resistance, inadequate targeting of cancer tissues, and subsequent metastasis.

One of tumor attribute cellular types, cancer stem cells have become associated with cancer development and metastasis, representing self-renewal and their propensity to join the flow.

Scientists at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) have created a regulation technology of fatal cancer stemness working with the combination of nanotechnology and genetic engineering called"photothermogenetics" that allows for successful cancer elimination.

Developed by Associate Professor Eijiro Miyako along with his group from JAIST, photo-active functional nanocarbon complexes, that manufactured from polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified carbon nanohorns (CNH) with an antibody against the receptor potential vanilloid family type 2 (TRPV2), showed high potential as a targeting cancer chemotherapeutic agent.
In fact, that the nanocomplexes are effectively heated by biologically permeable near-infrared mild. Following program to cells and mice enzyme versions, these complexes photo-thermally triggered calcium influx into target cells overexpressing TRPV2 (temperature-responsive tissue protein), resulting in increased cancer cell death and effective regulation of cancer stemness.

The current experiments warrant additional consideration of the novel chemotherapeutic approach using the best combination of nanotechnology and genetic technology for treating refractory cancers and management of fatal cancer stemness.
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<span style="color: #ff6600;"><a style="color: #ff6600;" href="http://www.jaist.ac.jp/english" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology</a></span>

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Yu, Y., <em>et al</em>. (2020) Photothermogenetic inhibition of cancer stemness by near-infrared-light-activatable nanocomplexes. <em>Nature Communications</em>.<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17768-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <span style="color: #ff6600;">doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17768-3.</span></a>

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