However, one team of researchers may have found a way to do just that. They’ve developed a more effective way to specifically target and kill only the cancer cells.

The researchers developed their approach working out of labs at the Washington School of Medicine and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

The approach sounds very simple. Step one – is to effectively paint a ‘target’ on each and every cancer cell – and only on the cancer cells.

Step two. Send in a cancer killing agent that will lock-on to these targets, like a laser guided missile, and kill the cancer cells. The unmarked cells are left untouched.

Because there are often on a few subtle differences between cancerous cells and healthy ones, targeting can be challenging.

To overcome the challenge, the team designed nanoscale devices made of synthetic proteins. They are able to program these ‘molecular computers’ to identify the cancer cells by their key differences.

Researchers named their creation Co-LOCKR (Colocalization-dependent Latching Orthogonal Cage/Key pRoteins). When the proteins in of Co-LOCKR land on a target cell, they combine with each other to essentially form a target.

Now, with the ‘laser painting the target’, it’s time to launch the missile.

For their missile, the team chose Cancer-killing CAR T cells, which are currently used in cancer treatment.

Once released into a mixed environment of both healthy cells and Co-LOCKR targeted cancer cells, the T cells locked-on to their marked targets and killed only the cancerous cells.

Complete results were published in the journal Science.

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