WELLINGTON, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A research published by a team of Wellington scientists offers exciting new possibilities for earlier cancer diagnosis and treatment, the Cancer Society said.

    Victoria University professor Richard Tilley had led a team of scientists to make tiny particles, or nanoparticles, which are able to seek out and destroy cancer cells before they grow into tumors, The Dominion Post reported on Tuesday.

    The nanoparticles, called quantum dots by the team, emit light so that doctors can see where the cancer cell is.

    The Cancer Society's medical director, oncologist Chris Atkinson said it was wonderful that such innovative research had been conducted in New Zealand.

    Though the makeup of different kinds of cancers varied, the findings could lead to earlier diagnosis of cancers that currently were not picked up until much later, he said.

    Tilley said the quantum dots would be able to carry drug molecules, so once a cancer cell was found, it could be destroyed.

    Atkinson said the possibility of any kind of "targeted therapy" was attracting excitement around the world because it meant cancer patients would suffer fewer side-effects than they did at present with treatments that affected the whole body, and not just the cancer cell.

    The findings have been accepted for publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.