Published
Jul 16, 2026 at 07:22 PM EDTupdated
Jul 16, 2026 at 07:23 PM EDT
By Maria Azzurra Volpe
Reporter
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
Researchers have developed a new nanoparticle-based strategy that could advance a promising cancer treatment approach by using tumors’ own copper supply to trigger cancer cell death.
The study, led by researchers at Guizhou Medical University and published in Biomedical Analysis, focuses on cuproptosis, a form of cell death that occurs when copper disrupts cancer cell survival mechanisms.
Cuproptosis has previously attracted interest as a possible cancer treatment approach, but many previous strategies have relied on adding external copper—raising concerns about toxicity to healthy tissues.
The new system is designed to avoid that problem by delivering a copper-binding agent directly to cancer cells and taking advantage of the copper already present inside tumors.
To create the system, researchers developed biodegradable nanoparticles made from PLGA-PEG, a material known for its safety and ability to break down in the body. They modified the surface of the nanoparticles with iRGD, a tumor-penetrating peptide designed to help guide the particles toward cancer cells.
The nanoparticles were loaded with TPEN, short for N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine, a compound that binds to metal ions such as copper.
A 3D render illustrates targeted cancer cells treatment. | Getty Images
