Issues with current cancer drugs

Poor solubility:

If a drug isn’t soluble, it’s harder for the body to absorb and use it effectively. This limits how much of the drug reaches the tumour.
Short circulation time:

Once the drug is in the bloodstream, it may get broken down or cleared from the body too quickly. This means it has less time to reach and affect cancer cells. This often leads to needing higher or more frequent doses.
Non-specific targeting:

Conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation have severe side effects due to non-specific targeting. This means that the drug doesn’t just attack cancer cells, it harms healthy cells; this lack of precision causes side effects (like hair loss, fatigue, or nausea).

Nanotechnology, particularly fullerenes, offers a promising alternative with high efficacy and minimal side effects.

Properties of fullerenes

Fullerenes (especially C₆₀) have unique properties that makes them ideal for medical applications, such as high surface area and solubility
They also have a functionisable surface, as hydrophilic/phobic groups can be attached. As a result, they exhibit antioxidant properties and can act in photodynamic therapy (PDT)

Antioxidant activity: Fullerenes act as "free radical sponges," scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) that contribute to cancer progression. They do this more effectively than traditional antioxidants (vit. C and E). Unlike vitamins and enzymes that degrade, fullerenes remain stable and continue their antioxidant action for a longer time. Unlike conventional antioxidants that neutralise one radical at a time, fullerenes can scavenge several free radicals simultaneously.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT): When exposed to light, functionalised fullerenes generate ROS that can destroy cancer cells selectively
Targeting specific cancer pathways: Fullerenes can inhibit angiogenesis (blood vessel formation in tumours), suppress metastasis and modulate oxidative stress

Despite their potential, challenges include toxicity concerns, large-scale production costs, and regulatory approval. Ongoing research focuses on optimising fullerenes for clinical applications.

Conventional treatments often have significant toxic effects on healthy tissues, whereas fullerenes:

Are less toxic
Do not accumulate in organs as much as some synthetic drugs, reducing long-term effects