These [particles] were released into tumour cells that had been taken from glioblastoma patients and grown in the lab. Once inside, these "nanospheres" were exposed to radiotherapy. This caused the gold to release electrons which damaged the cancer cell's DNA and its overall structure, thereby enhancing the impact of the chemotherapy drug.
Apparently, the process was super effective and 20 days later, all evidence pointed to cancer cells being completely destroyed, leave healthy tissue unharmed.
The study was led by Mark Welland, Professor of Nanotechnology and a Fellow of St John's College, University of Cambridge, and Dr Colin Watts, a clinician scientist and honorary consultant neurosurgeon at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences. Head over to Phys.org for more fascinating insights. [Phys.org]
source: gizmodo.com by Pranav Dixit