Binanox

In 2020, more than 400 000 deaths occurred as the result of head and neck cancers (HNC) globally. This is about half of the 900 000 cases reported that year.¹ It is anticipated that these numbers will only continue to rise and reach approximately 1.08 million cases annually by 2030.¹,²,³ In the Netherlands alone, over 3000 patients are diagnosed with HNC yearly.⁴

Current treatments are highly dependent on the location in the body and severity of the disease. These treatments often require a combination of surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.⁵ Despite being a combination of established treatment techniques, this multidisciplinary approach often results in severe consequences such as speech impairment, loss of salivary function and damaged neurological functions.⁵,⁶

This stresses on the importance of developing a new therapeutic approach with reduced side effects. A novel and promising new treatment for HNC is photothermal therapy (PTT), which is considered as a highly precise form of treatment.⁷ PTT is based on the conversion of light energy of a near infrared light (NIR) laser to heat. This heat causes cell death in the surrounding tissue.⁸ Given that cancerous cells are more sensitive to higher temperatures, this non-invasive, thermal ablation may be effective for head and neck cancers.⁷,⁸ This technique uses metallic nanoparticles (NPs) to produce the heat required for killing cancer cells. These nanoparticles can be attached to tumour specific antibodies which allows for very specific targeting of the cancer cells.

Our aim is to create bimetallic nanoparticles, which can be used for PTT. By exciting the nanoparticles with a laser, heat is created to kill the tumour cells. We strive to produce better nanoparticles for this therapy with the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli). Therefore, we will transform the E. coli with four genes for improved metal reduction. We hope to create nanoparticles with an optimal shape for PTT, which could lead to an improved cancer therapy.