Nanotechnology News and Research

RSS

Over 17,000 scientists convene at AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010

Scientific breakthroughs in molecular targeting, translational cancer research and cancer prevention will take center stage when more than 17,000 scientists from around the world gather at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, April 17-21, for the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010.

13 Apr 2010

Researchers invent zinc-stapled insulin to reduce insulin-related cancer risk

For millions of Americans with Type-2 diabetes and inject insulin to control diabetes (with onset typically in adulthood) the associated risk of cancer is of increasing concern. Studies have demonstrated that obesity and excess insulin - whether naturally produced by the body or injected in synthetic form - are associated with an increased incidence of some common cancers.

13 Apr 2010

New medical imaging technique using pulsed laser and nanocages

New research findings suggest that an experimental ultrasensitive medical imaging technique that uses a pulsed laser and tiny metallic "nanocages" might enable both the early detection and treatment of disease.

13 Apr 2010

Inbuilt sensor in cell phones for detecting deadly chemicals

Do you carry a cell phone? Today, chances are it's called a "smartphone" and it came with a three-to-five megapixel lens built-in-not to mention an MP3 player, GPS or even a bar code scanner. This 'Swiss-Army-knife' trend represents the natural progression of technology-as chips become smaller/more advanced, cell phones absorb new functions.

12 Apr 2010

Study suggests new ways to improve anti-cancer chemotherapies

A study released this week suggests that anti-cancer chemotherapies which use nanoparticles to deliver drugs deep inside tumor tissue will be more effective if the particles are positively electrically charged because they are taken up to a greater extent by proliferating cells, according to a team of chemists and chemical engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

12 Apr 2010

Researchers show iRGD peptide increases treatment efficacy against cancer

Researchers have shown that a peptide (a chain of amino acids) called iRGD helps co-administered drugs penetrate deeply into tumor tissue. The peptide has been shown to substantially increase treatment efficacy against human breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers in mice, achieving the same therapeutic effect as a normal dose with one-third as much of the drug.

9 Apr 2010

"Nanovaccine" reverses diabetes

A new study, published online April 8 by Cell Press in the journal Immunity, describes a unique therapeutic "nanovaccine" that successfully reverses diabetes in a mouse model of the disease. In addition to providing new insight into diabetes, the research also reveals an aspect of the pathogenesis of the autoimmune response that may provide a therapeutic strategy for multiple autoimmune disorders.

9 Apr 2010

Nanotechnology-based vaccine cures mice with type 1 diabetes

Using a sophisticated nanotechnology-based "vaccine," researchers were able to successfully cure mice with type 1 diabetes and slow the onset of the disease in mice at risk for the disease. The study, co-funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, provides new and important insights into understanding how to stop the immune attack that causes type 1 diabetes, and could even have implications for other autoimmune diseases.

9 Apr 2010

New Life MicroFab Division launched to provide micro-fabrication services

Life BioScience, Inc. has launched a new Life MicroFab™ Division that provides a broad range of micro-fabrication services for devices made in APEX Glass, APEX Ceramic, Silicon, Pyrex, SOI, Kapton and other standard materials used in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

8 Apr 2010

Officials of Kylin Therapeutics receive an issued patent from USPTO

Officials of Kylin Therapeutics Inc., a leading RNAi company, announced this week that they received an issued patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

7 Apr 2010

Study: Carbon nanotubes degraded by MPO enzyme induce less inflammation

A team of Swedish and American scientists has shown for the first time that carbon nanotubes can be broken down by an enzyme - myeloperoxidase (MPO) - found in white blood cells.

6 Apr 2010

Selecta Biosciences raises $15M in new Series C financing round

Selecta Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing synthetic nanoparticle vaccines, today announced that it has raised $15 million in a Series C financing round. OrbiMed Advisors LLC led the round, with participation from existing investors Polaris Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures, NanoDimension and Leukon Investments. The Series C financing brings the total capital raised by Selecta over the past 15 months to more than $30 million.

5 Apr 2010

Scientists show carbon nanotubes can be broken down by MPO

A team of Swedish and American scientists has shown for the first time that carbon nanotubes can be broken down by an enzyme - myeloperoxidase - found in white blood cells. Their discoveries are presented in Nature Nanotechnology and contradict what was previously believed, that carbon nanotubes are not broken down in the body or in nature.

5 Apr 2010

Some therapies being investigated for Alzheimer's disease may cause cell death: UCSD

Some current therapies being investigated for Alzheimer's disease may cause further neural degeneration and cell death, according to a breakthrough discovery by UC San Diego researchers. By combining three dimensional computer simulations with high resolution atomic force microscopy membrane protein and cell imaging, electrical recording and various cellular assays, UCSD nano-biophysicist Ratnesh Lal and his colleagues investigated the structure and function of truncated peptides, known as nonamyloidgenic peptides, formed by some Alzheimer's drug candidates.

5 Apr 2010

Cancer research at Georgia Tech: Report

Cancer treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or biological therapy. An oncologist may use one therapy or a combination of methods, depending on the type and location of the cancer, whether the disease has spread, the patient's age and general health, and other factors.

3 Apr 2010

Radius Health to develop lightweight X-ray emitter employing MAX technology at UCLA incubator space

While today many medical-imaging needs are being met with traditional vacuum tube-based technology, large segments of the X-ray-imaging market are poorly served, and there is widespread demand for both performance improvements and cost reductions.

3 Apr 2010

Nanotechnology for eavesdropping on inner electrical activity of individual cells

A nanometer-scale probe designed to slip into a cell wall and fuse with it could offer researchers a portal for extended eavesdropping on the inner electrical activity of individual cells.

2 Apr 2010

Scientists use non-viral, synthetic nanoparticle carrier to restores vision

Take a look at this: Scientists from Buffalo, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City made a huge step toward making the blind see, and they did it by using a form of gene therapy that does not involve the use of modified viruses.

1 Apr 2010

BioNanomatrix awarded patent covering nanochannel arrays for high-throughput macromolecular analysis

BioNanomatrix, Inc., a developer of breakthrough single-molecule genomic analysis technology, today announced the issuance of U.S. patent 7,670,770 for nanochannel arrays that enable high-throughput macromolecular analysis. Also disclosed are methods of preparing nanochannel array chips, methods of analyzing macromolecules such as entire strands of genomic DNA, and systems for implementing these methods.

31 Mar 2010

Virginia Tech professor receives NSF CAREER award for research on cancer therapies using nanotechnology

Preliminary research on cancer treatments using nanotechnology and laser therapy has led to a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award for Marissa Nichole Rylander, Virginia Tech assistant professor jointly appointed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (SBES).

30 Mar 2010