Nanoparticle system that can release fluorescent dyes in pancreatic cancer tumor cell samples

Theranostics have the potential to both diagnose cancers and treat them, all in one package. But it's challenging to tell when—or even if—the package has reached and penetrated a tumor. Now, researchers reporting in JACS Au have designed a nanoparticle system that can get through tough pancreatic cancer tumors, releasing fluorescent dyes in human cell samples and 3D lab-made tumor masses for diagnostics and therapy.