Researchers at the Nano-Medicine Laboratory of the University of Manchester have designed and developed tiny sachets called liposomes that will explode like "grenades" when they are heated up, killing cancerous cells.

Offering insight into their search, Professor Kostas Kostarelos of the University of Manchester said: "The tiny bubbles of fat which carry the toxic drug materials move around the body safely without leaking the chemicals. When the bubbles reach the cancerous area, we expose the area to heat and the bubbles explode, letting the toxic drugs attack the cancerous cells." The research team has received successful results in their tests on subjects with skin tumors on the head and neck. The tests are mostly conducted on mice with skin cancer. The cancerous area is heated by using ultrasound or drilling. As the liposomes are designed to release the toxic drugs only in the tumors, and side effects on other tissues and organs is planned to be prevented.

This newest discovery, which has caused a stir among scientists, will be presented during the National Cancer Research Institute conference, which runs until Nov.4.