Differentiation of Cancer Stem Cells through Nanoparticle Surface Engineering

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a crucial therapeutic target because of their role in resistance to chemo- and radiation therapy, metastasis, and tumor recurrence. Differentiation therapy presents a potential strategy for “defanging” CSCs. To date, only a limited number of small-molecule and nanomaterial-based differentiating agents have been identified. We report here the integrated use of nanoparticle engineering and hypothesis-free sensing to identify nanoparticles capable of efficient differentiation of CSCs into non-CSC phenotypes. Using this strategy, we identified a nanoparticle that induces CSC differentiation by increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species levels. Importantly, this unreported phenotype is more susceptible to drug treatment than either CSCs or non-CSCs, demonstrating a potentially powerful strategy for anticancer therapeutics.