CANBERRA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have developed a nanoparticle "delivery vehicle" that could significantly improve lung cancer treatment by increasing drug effectiveness while reducing side effects.

The researchers found the hybrid nanoparticles boosted the bioavailability of a lung cancer drug by more than 30-fold in preclinical testing, while helping reduce exposure to healthy organs, said a statement of Australia's Adelaide University released Monday.

"One of the major challenges in treating lung cancer is that many drugs don't stay in the body long enough, or they spread to healthy organs and cause toxic side effects," said Paul Joyce, senior research fellow at Adelaide University.

Joyce said many cancer drugs typically accumulate in the liver rather than reaching the lungs, but the newly developed nanoparticles act as a delivery vehicle to help drugs circulate longer and concentrate in lung tissue.

"The nanoparticles ensure that more of the drug actually gets to where it's needed, instead of being lost in the body, or affecting other organs," he said.

"Administering a cancer drug in the standard way is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. But administer the drug via our nanoparticles, and it's like sealing that bucket so that 30 times more water stays inside," Joyce explained.

In preclinical testing, the nanoparticle-delivered drug demonstrated stronger tumor-killing effects compared with the drug alone, researchers said, adding the technology could support more precise treatments for lung cancer and other diseases requiring targeted drug delivery. ■