By decorating the surface of the nanoparticles with alendronate, the researchers said the nanoparticles could home to bone tissue to deliver drugs that are encapsulated within the nanoparticles and kill tumor cells, as well as stimulate healthy bone tissue growth.

They tested their drug-toting nanoparticles in mice with multiple myeloma, a type of bone cancer.

The mice were first pre-treated with nanoparticles loaded with the anti-cancer drug, bortezomib, before being injected with myeloma cells.

The researchers said that the treatment resulted in slower myeloma growth and prolonged survival. Moreover, they also observed that bortezomib, as a pre-treatment regimen, changed the make-up of bone, enhancing its strength and volume.

"This study provides the proof-of-concept that targeting the bone marrow niche can prevent or delay bone metastasis," said co- senior study author Irene Ghobrial of DFCI Center for Hematologic Oncology.

"This work will pave the way for the development of innovative clinical trials in patients with myeloma to prevent progression from early precursor stages or in patients with breast, prostate or lung cancer who are at high-risk to develop bone metastasis," Ghobrial added.

The findings were published in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.