Scientists from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) and the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology at the University of Minho have developed a hydrogel designed to treat melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. In Portugal there are between 1,000 and 1,500 new cases a year.
The material combines spherical nanocapsules, which carry the drug doxorubicin, with a polymer gel that acts as a barrier and controls the release of the medicine. At room temperature it is liquid and easy to handle, but when it touches the skin the change in temperature makes it quickly turn into a gel, staying where it was applied.
According to FCUP, localised release could reduce the exposure of healthy tissue and some of the side effects of chemotherapy. Laboratory tests in Minho showed good biocompatibility, and earlier studies indicated that the nanocapsules are pH-sensitive, which could favour the release of the drug in tumours, which tend to be more acidic.
The work, the result of two years of research and of Rui Machado’s PhD thesis in Chemistry, was published in the American Chemical Society journal Applied Bio Materials. The next stage involves in vivo studies to understand how the hydrogel and the drug interact with the body.
