"A small clinical trial using gold nanoparticles that act as tumorseeking missiles on a mission to remove prostate cancer has begun at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston UTHealth. It is the first trial of its kind in the world. The nanoparticles or nanoshells are made of small layers of silica glass formed into a sphere and wrapped in a thin layer of gold. The shells seek out and saturate cancerous cells and their advanced vibrational properties are then harnessed to cause the tumorous tissue to pulse with extreme temperature when light is applied through a laser specifically designed to excite the particles. The oscillation kills the cancer cells while preserving the healthy tissue avoiding the nerves and urinary sphincter. This procedure is the first in the world that is precise enough to potentially avoid negative ramifications like urinary incontinence or sexual impotency. This therapy could be lifechanging for men diagnosed with prostate cancer and Im honored to be among the first doctors the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved to put it to the test said Steven Canfield M.D. chair of the division of urology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth who recognized the possibility of the nanoparticles to treat prostate cancer and helped developed the trial to test the theory. Prostate cancer begins when cells in a mans prostate gland mutate and start to grow uncontrollably. Other than skin cancer prostate is the most common cancer in American men with an estimated  out of  men diagnosed. The American Cancer Society estimates  men died from the disease in  alone. Treatment options have traditionally included radical prostatectomy which is the removal of the prostate gland and some of the tissue around it radiation therapy and cryotherapy among others. These methods carry the potential to have a negative impact on urinary function and sexual performance. The side effects of current prostate cancer treatments can be extremely traumatic. This new technology holds the potential to eliminate those lifealtering effects while still removing the cancer tissue and reducing hospital and recovery time Canfield said. In fact the first patient in the trial was actually riding a bike within a week of his treatment. The fusion of MRI and ultrasound imaging technology that we use to accurately identify and diagnose the cancer combined with the extreme precision of the gold nanoshells in targeting the diseased cells allows us to be incredibly accurate at obliterating them. I am excited as we continue tracking the progress of this groundbreaking improvement to prostate cancer care. Doug Flewellen the first patient in Texas to receive the new method of care says for him the procedure was a nobrainer. No man wants to go through radical removal and I knew active monitoring could have potentially aggravated the cancer Flewellen said. The side effects of traditional treatment were not worth it to me and I wasnt afraid to try the most cuttingedge technology. Looking back the experience was even better than I was expecting and I hope to see nanoparticle therapy advance into an option for anyone diagnosed with prostate cancer in the future.  The gold nanoparticles were invented by Naomi Halas the head of Rice Universitys Laboratory for Nanophotonics. Canfield worked closely with Halas and Nanospectra Biosciences the company where the shells are licensed to incorporate the stateoftheart technology into the trial that is also underway at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the University of Michigan to test the efficacy of the therapy. To see the requirements and learn more about the trial visit httpsclinicaltrials.govctshowNCT. About UTHealth Established in  by The University of Texas System Board of Regents http The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston UTHealth is Houstons Health University and Texas resource for health care education innovation scientific discovery and excellence in patient care. The most comprehensive academic health center in the UT System  http the U.S. Gulf Coast region UTHealth is home to Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing httpsnursing.uth.edu John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School httpsmed.uth.edu and schools of biomedical informatics httpssbmi.uth.edu biomedical sciences httpsgsbs.uth.edu dentistry httpsdentistry.uth.edu and public health httpssph.uth.edu. UTHealth includes The University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center httpshcpc.uth.edu as well as the growing clinical practices UT Physicians https UT Dentists httpsdentistry.uth.edupatients and UT Health Services httpsuthealthservices.com. The universitys primary teaching hospitals are Memorial HermannTexas Medical Center http Childrens Memorial Hermann Hospital httpchildrens.memorialhermann.org and Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital https For more information visit  http"