(Phys.org) —Herceptin and camptothecin are both powerful anticancer agents with key characteristics that limit their effectiveness in treating cancer. Patients treated with Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody that targets a growth promoting factor common to breast cancers (Her2), often relapse as their tumors become resistant to the drug. overcoming camptothecin"s toxicity and low solubility represent major therapeutic challenges. Now, researchers at the California Institute of Technology have used nanotechnology to combine the two into what so far appears to be a highly effective drug for treating aggressive breast cancer.
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