Prime Highlights:
- Scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed manganese-based molecules that stay dormant in healthy tissue but activate inside acidic tumours, allowing a single system to both detect and destroy cancer cells.
- The molecules successfully crossed the blood-brain barrier and accumulated in glioblastoma tumours, offering sharper MRI imaging and a targeted therapeutic effect for one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose and treat.
Key Facts:
- The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
- Researcher Thirumurugan Prakasam synthesised the molecules as part of the Trabolsi group at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Background:
Scientists from NYU Abu Dhabi created smart molecules that can detect and treat cancer. This discovery enables doctors to provide more accurate and secure cancer treatment methods.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, builds on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — a standard diagnostic tool doctors use to locate tumours. Unlike conventional MRI agents, which only help diagnose cancer, these new molecules handle both diagnosis and treatment within a single system.
The molecules combine manganese with organic compounds. They remain inactive in healthy tissue but switch on inside tumours, where slightly higher acidity triggers their activation. Once active, they release manganese ions that sharpen MRI contrast and simultaneously produce a therapeutic effect that damages cancer cells.
Notably, the molecules crossed the blood-brain barrier in tests and accumulated in glioblastoma tumours — a cancer that remains notoriously hard to detect and treat. This allowed researchers to achieve clearer brain tumour imaging alongside a measurable therapeutic response.
Lead researcher Farah Benyettou said the team aimed to help doctors see cancer clearly and treat it at the same time, adding that the ability to image and target brain tumours with high precision was particularly exciting.
Researchers believe this technology represents a new generation of MRI agents that could make cancer care faster and more effective.
