Patent ID: 8518870

Claim:
A method of treating a breast cancer tumor or breast cancer cells in a patient, comprising: administering to the patient a composition comprising a protein-carbon nanotube complex comprising a protein or peptide operatively attached to a single-walled carbon nanotube, wherein the protein or peptide of the protein-carbon nanotube complex comprises a binding protein or peptide that has binding specific for an external receptor or binding site on a tumor vasculature endothelial cell of a breast cancer tumor and/or on a breast cancer cell, and wherein the single-walled carbon nanotube comprises at least one structure selected from the group consisting of (6,5), (7,6), (8,7), (7,5), (8,6), (9,7), and (9,8) structures and combinations thereof, wherein the protein-carbon nanotube complex binds via the binding protein or peptide to the external receptor or binding site on an outer surface of the tumor vasculature endothelial cell of the breast cancer tumor and/or on an outer surface of the breast cancer cell in the patient; and exposing the patient to electromagnetic radiation comprising a wavelength absorbable by the single-walled carbon nanotube causing elevation of the temperature of the single-walled carbon nanotube of the protein-carbon nanotube complex to a temperature which induces damage or death of the tumor vasculature endothelial cell of the breast cancer tumor and/or of the breast cancer cell to which the protein-carbon nanotube complex is bound.