Polymer nanoparticles that release medicine at controlled rates inside cells have the potential to enhance the efficacy of many clinical drugs. Researchers have now developed an eye-catching way to evaluate the performance of different polymer drug-delivery formulations using luminescent quantum dots as imaging labels.

In a move akin to adding chemical weapons to a firebomb, researchers have devised a method to deposit a thin layer of hydrogels on the surface of nanoshells designed to absorb infrared light and generate heat to destroy tumors. When heated by the nanoshells, these special hydrogels lose their water content and any drugs trapped within, creating a formidable one-two punch.

Nanoparticles packed with a clinically used chemotherapy drug and coated with an oligosaccharide derived from the carapace of crustaceans might effectively target and kill cancer stem-like cells, according to a recent study.