Cancer metastasis: From problem to opportunity

When cancer metastasizes, it often ends up in the lungs, where the new tumors unleash a cascade of chemical cues that thwart the body's immune response. A team of researchers from the Wyss Institute has created a new approach that attacks metastasis itself by using red blood cells as couriers to deliver nanoparticles filled with immune-cell-attracting chemicals. This approach halted lung tumor growth in mice with metastatic breast cancer and protected the animals against future cancer recurrences.