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Neuroprosthetics 2009 national conference to focus on artificial limbs

On September 16, leaders in research and development of implantable limb neuroprosthetics will gather at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to discuss the state of the field and to advance collaborations that will push next-generation artificial limbs and prosthetic devices closer to clinical application.

9 Sep 2009

NanoViricides' drug pipeline to be discussed at NanoBusiness2009

NanoViricides, Inc. (the "Company"), announced today that Anil Diwan, PhD, President of the Company has been asked to present a talk at NanoBusiness2009 - the 8th annual NanoBusiness Conference.

8 Sep 2009

Iterative in situ click chemistry creates antibody-like protein-capture agents

Chemists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and The Scripps Research Institute (SRI) have developed an innovative technique to create cheap but highly stable chemicals that have the potential to take the place of the antibodies used in many standard medical diagnostic tests. James R. Heath, Ph.D., principal investigator of the Nanosystems Biology Cancer Center at Caltech, one of eight Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, and K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D., SRI, and their colleagues describe the new technique in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

7 Sep 2009

Specific targeting of brain tumors with an optical/magnetic resonance imaging nanoprobe across the blood-brain barrier

Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Washington reported that they had developed a toxin-nanoparticle combination that inhibits brain cancer invasion when added to tumor cells growing in culture.

7 Sep 2009

Nanotags pinpoint multiple cancer markers in live animals

Using nanoparticles designed specifically to produce a bright Raman spectroscopic signal, a team of investigators at the Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence Focused on Therapy Response (Stanford University Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence [CCNE]) has shown that it can simultaneously track as many as 10 different optical tags in a living animal.

7 Sep 2009

Aptamer nanoflares for molecular detection in living cells

By combining a gold nanoparticle with a unique family of nucleic acids, researchers at Northwestern University have created a new type of intracellular reporting system that with a flash of light reveals the presence and quantity of a wide variety of biologically important molecules. These so-called nanoflares could provide cancer biologists with a highly sensitive method of tracking complex biochemical processes in real time without interfering with those processes.

7 Sep 2009

Nanotubes destroy kidney tumors

By injecting multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second zap of a laser, a multi-institutional team of researchers from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSOM), Wake Forest University Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, Rice University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has developed a new type of therapy that effectively kills kidney tumors in nearly 80% of treated mice. Researchers say that the findings, which were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, suggest a potential future cancer treatment for humans.

7 Sep 2009

Nanoparticle-delivered suicide gene therapy effectively reduces ovarian tumor burden in mice

Nanoparticle delivery of diphtheria toxin-encoding DNA that expresses selectively in ovarian cancer cells reduced the burden of ovarian tumors in mice, and researchers expect that this therapy could be tested in humans with advanced ovarian cancer within 18 to 24 months, according to a report in Cancer Research. If additional tests are successful, these finding could lead to a new treatment for ovarian cancer, which now causes more than 15,000 deaths each year in the United States. Because it is usually diagnosed at a relatively late stage, ovarian cancer is one of the most deadly forms of the disease.

7 Sep 2009

Rapid detection and profiling of cancer cells in fine-needle aspirates

Using a new type of paramagnetic nanoparticle and a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system built into a microfluidic device, a team of investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School has created an assay system capable of detecting as few as two cancer cells in 1 microliter of biological fluid. In addition, the new assay requires little sample processing and produces results in less than 15 minutes.

7 Sep 2009

Reversible cell-specific drug delivery with aptamer-functionalized liposomes

For cancer drug developers, finding an agent that kills tumor cells is only part of the equation. The drug also must spare healthy cells, and ideally its effects will be reversible to cut short any potentially dangerous side effects. Investigators from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report that they have assembled a new cancer drug delivery system that, in cell culture, achieves all of the above.

7 Sep 2009

Molecularly targeted nanocarriers deliver the cytolytic peptide melittin specifically to tumor cells in mice, reducing tumor growth

When bees sting, they pump into their victims a peptide toxin called melittin that destroys cell membranes. Now, by encapsulating this extremely potent molecule within a nanoparticle, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have created a potential new type of anticancer therapy with the potential to target a wide range of tumors. This work was reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

7 Sep 2009

ASNM inaugral conference to discuss the latest in nanomedicine

Nanomedicine - the science and technology of diagnosing, treating and preventing disease to improve human health using nanotechnology - has the potential to revolutionize healthcare. Current and future products range from miniaturized "smart pills" that precision-target certain cancers to nanosensors that are capable of navigating through the body for early detection of disorders.

5 Sep 2009

NSF grants funds to develop next-generation nano-CT imaging system

In 1991, Ge Wang produced the first paper on spiral cone-beam computed tomography (CT), now an imaging technique used in the mainstream of the medical CT field. Today, Wang, known as a pioneer in this field, and his colleagues have been awarded more than $1.3 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop the next-generation nano-CT imaging system, which promises to greatly reduce the required dose of radiation.

4 Sep 2009

Biosante and Cell Genesys to merge after stockholders' approval

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPAX) and Cell Genesys, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEGE), today announced that each will hold a special stockholders meeting on September 30, 2009 at which time stockholders will be asked to approve the previously announced merger between the companies. On June 29, 2009, BioSante and Cell Genesys entered into a definitive merger agreement by which the companies will merge in an all-stock transaction, with BioSante as the surviving company.

3 Sep 2009

Biosante Pharmaceuticals and Cell Genesys to hold stockholders meeting for merger approval

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cell Genesys, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEGE), today announced that each will hold a special stockholders meeting on September 30, 2009 at which time stockholders will be asked to approve the previously announced merger between the companies.

3 Sep 2009

Researchers to analyse nanoparticles

Researchers at Swansea University's Centre for NanoHealth have been awarded £1 million by the Research Councils' Nanoscience through Engineering to Application cross-council programme, led by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), to analyse the levels at which nanoparticles can be deemed safe within cells.

3 Sep 2009

IBM scientists image the anantomy of a molecule using noncontact atomic force microscopy

IBM scientists have been able to image the "anatomy" -- or chemical structure -- inside a molecule with unprecedented resolution, using a complex technique known as noncontact atomic force microscopy.

28 Aug 2009

Rapid, accurate and cost-efficient testing of DNA with the Nanogap Sensor Array

A novel electronic sensor array for more rapid, accurate and cost-efficient testing of DNA for disease diagnosis and biological research has been developed by scientists at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN).

27 Aug 2009

Nanogap sensor array for ultra-sensitive detection of human DNA

Researchers in Singapore are reporting development of a new electronic sensor that shows promise as a faster, less expensive, and more practical alternative than tests now used to detect DNA. Such tests are done for criminal investigation, disease diagnosis, and other purposes.

27 Aug 2009

NanoBusiness 2009 conference to address nanotechnology advancements in various markets

The NanoBusiness Alliance, the world's leading nanotechnology trade association, today announced details of its expanded conference program for the 8th annual NanoBusiness 2009 conference and exhibition, which will held at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL, from September 8 – 10.

25 Aug 2009