A new procedure to fight brain cancer utilizing small, nano-sized discs, which shake the tumor cells to death - literally, has been developed by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Researchers stated that the method is in its early phases of development.

The novel method is elaborated in the recent issue of the journal Nature Materials.

The new technique consists of tiny gold-plated iron-nickel discs that are capable of being magnetized.

The discs are attached to particular antibodies, which assist them hunt for brain cancer cells.

Antibodies are the proteins created by your immune system to hit foreign attackers comprising viruses. In this case, the antibodies are designed to unite to precise targets on the surface of the cancer cells.

The discs sit dormant on the cancer cell until a small alternating magnetic field is applied and the discs start to oscillate, or move. The energy from the shaking is transferred to the cell and induces a kind of "cell suicide." The scientists believe that the shaking cuts off the cell's membrane and initiates a chain of cell signaling, which eventually causes the cell's death.

Since the antibodies are appealed only to brain cancer cells, the procedure leaves nearby healthy cells unhurt. (With Input from Agencies)