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Researchers develop 'smart bomb' to attack B-lineage ALL

Fatih Uckun, Jianjun Cheng and their colleagues have taken the first steps towards developing a so-called "smart bomb" to attack the most common and deadly form of childhood cancer — called B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

6 Nov 2014

Johns Hopkins engineers invent lab device that yields microscopic look at metastasis

Johns Hopkins engineers have invented a lab device to give cancer researchers an unprecedented microscopic look at metastasis, the complex way that tumor cells spread through the body, causing more than 90 percent of cancer-related deaths. By shedding light on precisely how tumor cells travel, the device could uncover new ways to keep cancer in check.

31 Oct 2014

Drug-loaded plaster delivers active agent to premature babies via membrane

The development of minimally and even non-invasive technologies is increasing in the medical field. It is now possible, for instance, to carry out a range of operative procedures using keyhole surgery with minimal use of the scalpel, leaving only tiny scars as a result. Similar opportunities are now becoming available when providing doses of active agents to patients – instead of using injections or probes to deliver drugs, it will in future be possible to supply them via a plaster which continuously, gently and painlessly delivers the required dosage through the skin.

30 Oct 2014

Rutgers scientists are developing new medical imaging method for early detection of cancer

A new medical imaging method being developed at Rutgers University could help physicians detect cancer and other diseases earlier than before, speeding treatment and reducing the need for invasive, time-consuming biopsies.

22 Oct 2014

Anti-cancer nanomedicines with smaller sizes exhibit enhanced performance in vivo, show studies

Nanomedicines consisting of nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery to specific tissues and cells offer new solutions for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

17 Oct 2014

MGH, MIT partner to accelerate development of diagnostic tools and therapies

A novel partnership between Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology is addressing three major challenges in clinical medicine – improving the diagnosis of disease, developing new approaches to prevent and treat infectious and autoimmune diseases, and developing more accurate methods of diagnosing and treating major neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. While individual collaborations between MGH and MIT investigators are nothing new, this formalized strategic partnership is designed to accelerate the development of diagnostic tools and therapies.

16 Oct 2014

New surface coating for medical devices prevents blood from clotting

From joint replacements to cardiac implants and dialysis machines, medical devices enhance or save lives on a daily basis. However, any device implanted in the body or in contact with flowing blood faces two critical challenges that can threaten the life of the patient the device is meant to help: blood clotting and bacterial infection.

13 Oct 2014

Researchers identify new technique to find rare stem cells

Deep within the bone marrow resides a type of cells known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). These immature cells can differentiate into cells that produce bone, cartilage, fat, or muscle — a trait that scientists have tried to exploit for tissue repair.

7 Oct 2014

Lucideon announces successful development of bioceramics for bone repair

As a partner in the EU-funded Bio-Bone project (Bioceramics for Bone Repair) Lucideon is pleased to announce that the pan-European consortium has successfully developed phosphate-glasses (p-glasses) with biomaterial properties for bone repair.

From Lucideon 3 Oct 2014

NRL scientists develop novel one-step process to form oxide nanoparticles

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Materials Science and Technology Division have developed a novel one-step process using, for the first time in these types of syntheses, potassium superoxide (KO2) to rapidly form oxide nanoparticles from simple salt solutions in water.

25 Sep 2014

Case Western Reserve University’s synchrotron facility to become No. 1 beamline facility for biology

Case Western Reserve University’s synchrotron facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory is on its way to becoming the No. 1 beamline facility for biology in the world by early 2016, thanks to a jumpstart grant of $4.6 million from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

24 Sep 2014

Engineers bring touch of color to glucose monitoring

University of Illinois engineers are bringing a touch of color to glucose monitoring. The researchers developed a new continuous glucose monitoring material that changes color as glucose levels fluctuate, and the wavelength shift is so precise that doctors and patients may be able to use it for automatic insulin dosing - something not possible using current point measurements like test strips.

27 Aug 2014

Researchers devise new way to separate cells by exposing them to sound waves

Researchers from MIT, Pennsylvania State University, and Carnegie Mellon University have devised a new way to separate cells by exposing them to sound waves as they flow through a tiny channel.

27 Aug 2014

Research leads to optimal design of alternative to open-heart surgery

University of Houston (UH) professor Suncica "Sunny" Canic is a mathematician, not a medical doctor, but her research could save the lives of heart patients.

13 Aug 2014

Oncothyreon acquires Alpine Biosciences to enable targeted delivery of multiple therapeutic agents

Oncothyreon Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in the development of innovative therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer, today announced that it has acquired Alpine Biosciences, Inc., of Seattle, Washington, a privately held biotechnology company developing protocells, a nanoparticle platform technology designed to enable the targeted delivery of multiple therapeutic agents, including nucleic acids, proteins, peptides and small molecules.

12 Aug 2014

Study to understand how tissues break down with age

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have identified differences in the proteins present in young and old tendons, in new research that could guide the development of treatments to stop tissue breakdown from occurring.

6 Aug 2014

Tiny gold particles can make cell membranes deliver drugs directly to target cells

A special class of tiny gold particles can easily slip through cell membranes, making them good candidates to deliver drugs directly to target cells.

22 Jul 2014

Computer simulations show how two knots on DNA strand can interchange positions

Physicists of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" (MAINZ) have been able with the aid of computer simulations to confirm and explain a mechanism by which two knots on a DNA strand can interchange their positions.

4 Jul 2014

Researchers develop self-powered artificial cardiac pacemaker

As the number of pacemakers implanted each year reaches into the millions worldwide, improving the lifespan of pacemaker batteries has been of great concern for developers and manufacturers.

23 Jun 2014

New nanomedicine allows glaucoma patients to do away with daily eye drops

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) have jointly developed a new nanomedicine that will allow glaucoma patients to do away with daily eye drops.

4 Jun 2014