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New protein stabilisation technique could revolutionise therapeutic drug discovery

A revolutionary new protein stabilisation technique has been developed by scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) which could lead to 30 per cent more proteins being available as potential targets for drug development - opening up exciting possibilities in drug discovery.

25 Jun 2009

Electrothermally driven micropumps for medicine

In biomedicine and biotechnology the smallest, complex, compound sample quantities must be reliably processed. Microsystems with new mechanisms of action for pumping, filtering and separating will manage this task with great efficiency in the future.

25 Jun 2009

Protein biochips

Biochips carrying thousands of DNA fragments are widely used for examining genetic material. Experts would also like to have biochips on which proteins are anchored. This requires a gel layer which can now be produced industrially.

24 Jun 2009

Chitosan and polyester ‘combo’ creates mixed-fiber material for nerve repair

In the clothing industry it's common to mix natural and synthetic fibers. Take cotton and add polyester to make clothing that's soft, breathable and wrinkle free.

17 Jun 2009

Bio-friendly nanocrystals allow study of biomolecules one at a time

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created bright, stable and bio-friendly nanocrystals that act as individual investigators of activity within a cell.

17 Jun 2009

Taxol-carrying nanoparticles

Nanoparticles specially engineered by University of Central Florida Assistant Professor J. Manuel Perez and his colleagues could someday target and destroy tumors, sparing patients from toxic, whole-body chemotherapies.

17 Jun 2009

Development of innovative nanotechnology drug delivery system for the treatment of pain

Z-Cube Srl, the corporate venture arm of Zambon Company SpA, and Yissum Research Development Company Ltd., the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced today that they have entered into a license agreement for Z-Cube to develop and commercialize an innovative nanotechnology drug delivery system for the treatment of pain.

25 May 2009

Scientists map sequence mutations of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus

In just two weeks from the time the first patient virus samples were made available, Singapore scientists report an evolutionary analysis of a critical protein produced by the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus strain.

22 May 2009

Novel method stimulates growth of new neurons in adult brain

University at Buffalo researchers have identified a new mechanism that plays a central role in adult brain stem cell development and prompts brain stem cells to differentiate into neurons.

21 May 2009

Nanoparticles used to stimulate growth of new neurons in adult brain

University at Buffalo researchers have identified a new mechanism that plays a central role in adult brain stem cell development and prompts brain stem cells to differentiate into neurons.

20 May 2009

Aerosol delivery of antibiotics via nanoparticles

Aerosol delivery of antibiotics via nanoparticles may provide a means to improve drug delivery and increase patient compliance, thus reducing the severity of individual illnesses, the spread of epidemics, and possibly even retarding antibiotic resistance.

19 May 2009

Molecular clues to halting HIV virus

Rice University's Andrew Barron and his group, working with labs in Italy, Germany and Greece, have identified specific molecules that could block the means by which the deadly virus spreads by taking away its ability to bind with other proteins.

19 May 2009

Enzyme-loaded liposomes within tiny polymer capsules

When cells cannot carry out the tasks required of them by our bodies, the result is disease. Nanobiotechnology researchers are looking for ways to allow synthetic systems take over simple cellular activities when they are absent from the cell. This requires transport systems that can encapsulate medications and other substances and release them in a controlled fashion at the right moment. The transporter must be able to interact with the surroundings in order to receive the signal to unload its cargo.

19 May 2009

Nanodiamonds for drug delivery

A research team at Northwestern University has demonstrated a tool that can precisely deliver tiny doses of drug-carrying nanomaterials to individual cells.

18 May 2009

British scientists win grant to develop hand-held self-monitoring test for HIV viral loads

Scientists in the United Kingdom have received a grant worth two million euros, or about $2.67 million, to develop a self-monitoring system for HIV-positive people that measures viral loads through a finger-prick of blood, BBC News reports.

7 May 2009

Nanoneedle introduces minimal intrusiveness in penetrating cell membranes

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a membrane-penetrating nanoneedle for the targeted delivery of one or more molecules into the cytoplasm or the nucleus of living cells.

30 Apr 2009

Nanotechnology: Its Promise and Challenges - talk by Vicki Colvin

Vicki Colvin of Rice University will give a talk titled "Nanotechnology: Its Promise and Challenges" at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory on Thursday, May 14, at 4 p.m. in Berkner Hall. The talk is free and open to the public. Visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and older must carry a photo ID.

27 Apr 2009

Green nanotechnology from tea

Researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia report in the Journal of Materials Chemistry that chemicals in tea are the best yet discovered to make consistent, biologically safe gold nanoparticles. More importantly, these gold nanoparticles show promising anticancer properties.

27 Apr 2009

Coadministration of paclitaxel and curcumin in nanoemulsion formulations to overcome multidrug resistance in tumor cells

Cancer cells, like bacteria, can develop resistance to drug therapy. In fact, research suggests strongly that multidrug-resistant cancer cells that remain alive after chemotherapy are responsible for the reappearance of tumors and the poor prognosis for patients whose cancer recurs.

27 Apr 2009

Nanoscopic 'pearl necklaces' track and attack cancer cells

A team of investigators at Purdue University has developed nanoscale probes that can help pinpoint the location of tumors and might one day be able to directly attack cancer cells.

27 Apr 2009