The lab team has designed transformable nanoparticles (ultrafine particles) that travel through the body as tiny particles and then reshape into nanofiber networks when reaching the cancer sites. These fibers cling to tumors but naturally fade away much more quickly in healthy organs, creating a built\u2011in targeting system.<\/p>\n
![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kit-lam-in-lab-body.jpg\")
\nUC Davis Distinguished Professor Kit S. Lam in his lab.<\/p>\n
The work is being led by Distinguished Professor\u00a0Kit S. Lam<\/a>\u00a0with the\u00a0UC Davis Health<\/a>Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Division of Hematology and Oncology<\/a>. The research recently received a boost from a prestigious $3.1 million\u00a0National Institutes of Health<\/a>\u00a0(NIH) R01 research project grant. R01 federal grants are given through the NIH\u2019s\u00a0National Cancer Institute<\/a>\u00a0to mature research projects that have strong preliminary data.<\/p>\n \u201cThis NIH (NCI) grant opens the door to accelerating this whole new way of treating cancer,\u201d said Lam. \u201cInstead of flooding the entire body with medicine, we can now \u2018park\u2019 these nanoparticles at the tumor sites and activate treatment only when we choose to.\u201d<\/p>\n Once the nanoparticles form a web of tiny fibers around a tumor, researchers can deliver therapeutic molecules using a highly specific \u201cclick chemistry\u201d reaction. This refers to chemical reactions that are fast, efficient and reliable.<\/p>\n This second step allows clinicians to add medicines on demand \u2014 including small-molecule drugs, toxins, and immune\u2011boosting molecules or proteins \u2014 that can augment the anti-tumor effects of the immune system.<\/p>\n The nanoparticles can stay in the tumor areas for up to a week, Lam said, but they fade from healthy organs like the liver and lungs within just two days.<\/p>\n \u201cThat gives us a unique advantage,\u201d Lam said. \u201cWe can use this long\u2011lasting presence in tumors to introduce cancer\u2011fighting treatments only when and where we want them.\u201d<\/p>\n Phased-in approach to pursuing drug development<\/p>\n The UC Davis team refers to this as a two\u2011component, two\u2011step strategy:<\/p>\n Step one: The nanoparticles locate the tumor and transform into a long\u2011lasting molecular framework. Main goals<\/p>\n The project includes three major goals:<\/p>\n Design and refine nanoparticles that target receptors found in cancers such as non\u2011small cell lung cancer. If successful, the technology could dramatically change how oncologists deliver effective treatments, reducing side effects and increasing precision.<\/p>\n \u201cThis platform gives us the flexibility to deliver multiple treatments in sequence or combination for whatever the patient needs at that moment,\u201d Lam said. \u201cOur goal is to create a robust, long\u2011lasting immune response that helps the body fight the cancer on its own.\u201d<\/p>\n UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center<\/p>\n UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region of more than 6 million people. Its specialists provide compassionate, comprehensive care for more than 100,000 adults and children every year and access to more than 200 active clinical trials at any given time. Its innovative research program engages more than 240 scientists at UC Davis who work collaboratively to advance discovery of new tools to diagnose and treat cancer. Patients have access to leading-edge care, including immunotherapy and other targeted treatments. Its Office of Community Outreach and Engagement addresses disparities in cancer outcomes across diverse populations, and the cancer center provides comprehensive education and workforce development programs for the next generation of clinicians and scientists. For more information, visit cancer.ucdavis.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(SACRAMENTO) UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center\u00a0scientists are testing \u201csmart\u201d\u00a0nanotechnology\u00a0that could transform cancer treatment by delivering drugs directly into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177025,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-177024","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-sacramento","9":"tag-sacramento-headlines","10":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nStep two: Doctors administer therapeutic agents that lock onto the drug delivery system and begin working within the tumor microenvironment.<\/p>\n
\nUse advanced imaging to understand how the nanoparticles behave in living systems.
\nTest the safety and effectiveness of this approach in preclinical cancer models.<\/p>\n