Viruses can also become our allies. In particular, certain viruses that infect bacteria can, for example, be genetically modified so that they become de facto targeted nanobioparticles capable of eliminating specific cancer cells and tissues. A research group at the University of Bologna has used some bacteriophages to be modified into new nanoparticles for this purpose. The study was carried out as part of the NanoPhage project, supported by the AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research. Results published in the journal Small showed that this strategy could become an important tool in many diagnostic and therapeutic fields, including oncology. "We have developed and tested a method that exploits the properties of specific viruses that are harmless to humans. Appropriately modified in the laboratory, such viruses could make it possible to overcome some of the limitations of using nanoparticles in medicine," explains Matteo Calvaresi, professor at the University of Bologna's Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" and researcher at IRCCS Sant'Orsola Policlinico, who coordinated the study. "When exposed to light, the nanobioparticle we made is able to rapidly eliminate cancer cells and tissues with great selectivity, sparing healthy cells". There has long been talk about nanomedicine, or the application of nanotechnology in clinical settings. It is an extremely promising field. Among the advantages of the use of very small particles could be the possibility of considerably amplifying and concentrating the therapeutic effect of a single molecule, for example of a drug, dramatically reducing the amount needed for therapy and consequently the possible side effects. However, there is one major problem that has prevented this from being achieved so far: the limitations of current nanostructure synthesis capabilities, which currently do not allow for the fabrication of homogeneous nanoparticles.