Target the Tumor. Spare the Body.

Nick Housley's latest advancement is a drug-delivery system called SANGs, short for "self-assembling nanohydrogels." As these nanohydrogels move through the body, they keep the cancer-fighting drug contained, passing through healthy tissue without releasing medicine. When they encounter the unique conditions created by a tumor, they remain in that environment and release the drug precisely where it's needed.

Georgia Tech researcher Nick Housley is developing a drug-delivery system designed to send cancer treatments directly to tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. His team's approach uses self-assembling nanohydrogels (SANGs) that circulate through the body, remain inactive in healthy environments, and release their drug payload only when they encounter the unique chemical conditions created by tumors. This "cancer-agnostic" strategy avoids the pitfalls of traditional targeted therapies, which can lose effectiveness as tumors evolve, and aims to reduce the harsh side effects patients often endure. Early preclinical results show that the nanohydrogels successfully concentrated drugs at tumor sites, and Housley's team is now preparing for broader testing to move the technology toward clinical trials.

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