Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Anticancer Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy with Lung Cancer-Targeted Nanoparticles
Published on: December 1, 2016
pH-responsive lyotropic liquid crystals and their potential therapeutic role in cancer treatment
Renata Negrini1, Wye-Khay Fong, Ben J Boyd
1Department of Health Sciences & Technology, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland. raffaele.mezzenga@hest.ethz.ch.
Abstract:
A weak amphiphilic base, pyridinylmethyl linoleate, is blended with monolinolein, yielding mesophases with a pH-induced hexagonal-to-cubic transition at pH ≤ 5.5. We show the potential therapeutic role of this mesophase in treating cancerous tissues exploiting their more acidic pH compared to healthy tissues. In vitro release studies with doxorubicin on HT29 human colon cancer cells show a 10-fold faster release and 3-fold increased efficiency for killing cancer cells at pH 5.5 versus pH 7.4, demonstrating the potential of this strategy in cancer treatment.
More Related Videos
10:16Targeted Plasma Membrane Delivery of a Hydrophobic Cargo Encapsulated in a Liquid Crystal Nanoparticle Carrier
Published on: February 8, 2017
11:04An In-House-Built and Light-Emitting-Diode-Based Photodynamic Therapy Device for Enhancing Verteporfin Cytotoxicity in a 2D Cell Culture Model
Published on: January 13, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Cancer Therapies
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Targeted Cancer Therapies
Tumor Immunotherapy
Treatment Resistent Cancers