Nanoparticle cancer therapy

A method of inducing cancer cell death, the method comprising:

• exposing cancer cells to be treated to an effective amount of a nanoparticle composition comprising biocompatible nanoparticles comprising gold, aluminium, carbon, boron, boron nitride, silica, magnesium oxide, titanium, titania, manganese, arsenic, iron-platinum, and/or barium sulfate and having a diameter or longest dimension in the range of 5 nm to 200 nm under conditions in which at least some of the nanoparticles are localised in the cancer cells to form nanoparticle-laden cancer cells and the localised nanoparticles alter one or more cell regulatory mechanisms in the nanoparticle-laden cancer cells or other cells;
• and
• exposing the nanoparticle-laden cancer cells to a chemotherapeutic agent or ionizing radiotherapy concurrently with or after the nanoparticles have altered the one or more cell regulatory mechanisms in the nanoparticle-laden cancer cells or other cells under conditions to cause cancer cell death.