New sticky material mimics gecko feet to fight tumours

The gecko is known for its gravity-defying grip, made possible by millions of microscopic hair-like structures on their toes called setae. Now, scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder are channelling that same natural ability to develop a new cancer treatment – one that adheres to tumours and slowly releases chemotherapy drugs from within the body.

The work, published in the journal Advanced Materials, was developed in partnership with doctors at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

“Nature has been at this for millions of years and offers clues for developing better biomaterials,” said Wyatt Shields, senior author of the study and Thomas F. Austin assistant professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at CU Boulder.

Gecko feet meet biomedical engineering

A gecko’s setae conform to surfaces and exploit van der Waals forces to adhere with remarkable strength – while still allowing effortless release.

Inspired by this mechanism, Shields and first author Jin Gyun Lee developed “soft dendritic particles” using a biodegradable polymer already approved by the FDA – poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA). These particles mimic the gecko’s toe hairs in both structure and stickiness.

The researchers then loaded the particles with chemotherapy drugs and tested them both in the lab and in mice with bladder tumours – yielding encouraging results.

“We envision that this gecko-inspired technology could ultimately reduce the frequency of clinical treatments, potentially allowing patients to receive fewer but longer-lasting therapies,” said Lee, a postdoctoral researcher in the Shields Lab.

From lab bench to bladder tumours

In their experiments, the particles adhered to cancer cells and tumour surfaces for several days – even in the slippery environment of the bladder. The mice tolerated the treatment well and even exhibited a beneficial immune response.

“We’ve developed a practical, flexible platform for localised cancer therapy that could be easily scaled and translated,” Lee said.

The technology is still in its early stages, but researchers believe it could lead to more targeted, less toxic cancer treatments in the future.

Tackling the challenges of bladder cancer

The team focused initially on bladder cancer, a disease notoriously difficult to treat with conventional methods.

“Bladder cancer is common, with most patients presenting with localised disease,” said Dr Thomas Flaig, a co-author and professor of medicine at CU Anschutz. “There is a real need for new and effective therapies to prevent progression to more advanced stages of disease for these patients.”

Current treatments involve delivering chemotherapy drugs into the bladder via catheter, but frequent urination quickly flushes the medication out  – necessitating repeated, often uncomfortable procedures. Healthy tissue is frequently affected, and tumour recurrence remains common.

By contrast, the new gecko-inspired particles can be applied as a gel directly to the tumour, where they adhere in place,  slowly release drugs and then naturally  disintegrate before being flushed from the body.

What’s next?

While human trials are still years away, the research team remains optimistic about the platform’s potential. They are now exploring its application in other localised cancers, such as those in the oral cavity or head and neck.

This collaborative effort between biomedical engineers, oncologists and cancer biologists is part of a growing trend in biomimicry – turning to nature for solutions to complex medical problems.