US Patent 8187638 - Preferential killing of cancer cells witn ZnO nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8187638.html

This patent from Boise State University is based on the finding that zinc oxide nanoparticles induce toxicity in rapidly dividing cells and can be applied to treatments for cancer and autoimmune deficiency. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of killing cancer cells, the method comprising:

providing a cancer cell in the presence of a healthy cell, wherein the cancer cell is from leukemia and/or lymphoma;

contacting the cancer cell and the healthy cell with a ZnO nanoparticle, wherein the ZnO nanoparticle has a preferential association with the cancer cell over the healthy cell, and wherein a targeting ligand is not associated with the ZnO nanoparticle; and

killing the cancer cell.