Polymers News and Research

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Enzymatic sculpting process used to isolate and concentrate cells from whole blood

In living systems, complex nano- and microscale structures perform a host of physical and biological functions. While two-dimensional patterns can be recreated fairly well with techniques like microlithography, three-dimensional structures represent a big challenge.

10 Sep 2012

Harvard experts create biocompatible hydrogel

A team of experts in mechanics, materials science, and tissue engineering at Harvard have created an extremely stretchy and tough gel that may pave the way to replacing damaged cartilage in human joints.

6 Sep 2012

Platelet-like nanoparticles nearly double survival rate after internal injury

Nanoparticles tailored to latch onto blood platelets rapidly create healthy clots and nearly double the survival rate in the vital first hour after injury, new research shows.

21 Aug 2012

Cancer patients with xerostomia can benefit from regenerative research

Biologists, surgical oncologists and regenerative medicine specialists from Rice University, the University of Delaware and the Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del., have begun a four-year program aimed at using cells to grow whole salivary glands that can replace those destroyed by cancer radiation therapy.

16 Aug 2012

New class of polymers resistant to bacterial attachment

Using state-of-the-art technology scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a new class of polymers that are resistant to bacterial attachment. These new materials could lead to a significant reduction in hospital infections and medical device failures.

13 Aug 2012

Scientists discover new class of polymers that are resistant to bacterial attachment

13 Aug 2012

PAMAM G-3 actually prevents activation of the process that leads to thrombosis

A compound that mops up debris of damaged cells from the bloodstream may be the first in a new class of drugs designed to address one of medicine's most difficult challenges -- stopping the formation of blood clots without triggering equally threatening bleeding.

24 Jul 2012

Nottingham scientists win £1.2M grant for research into engineering of nanomaterials

Pioneering scientists at The University of Nottingham have won a £1.2 million grant for research into the engineering of nanomaterials that could transform the global healthcare industry.

20 Jul 2012

Heart defects at birth linked to workplace exposure to solvents

Workplace exposure to organic solvents is linked to several types of heart defects at birth, indicates research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

18 Jul 2012

Special surface coating for stents to keep them in place

If a person's windpipe is constricted, an operation in which the surgeon inserts a stent to enlarge the trachea is often the only way to relieve their respiratory distress. But this grid-like implant can slip out of position, closing off the windpipe altogether. Researchers are working on a special surface coating for the stents to keep them in place.

9 Jul 2012

USPTO issues patent to Aeris’ cross-linked polymers for treatment of emphysema

Aeris Therapeutics, LLC announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent covering the use of cross-linked polymers administered into the lung to reduce lung volume for the treatment of emphysema.

14 Jun 2012

Partnership between Molecular Profiles and GEA Process Engineering to demonstrate benefits of new technology

Molecular Profiles, a leading specialist contract research and manufacturing organisation, announces that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with GEA Process Engineering - the company behind the world-recognized GEA Niro spray drying technology.

29 May 2012

Investigators describe how they synthesized polymers to stabilize proteins

Proteins are widely used as drugs - insulin for diabetics is the best known example - and as reagents in research laboratories, but they react poorly to fluctuations in temperature and are known to degrade in storage.

22 May 2012

Male cyclists may experience hormonal imbalances that affect reproductive health

A new study conducted by UCLA School of Nursing researchers has found that serious leisure male cyclists may experience hormonal imbalances that could affect their reproductive health. The study, "Reproductive Hormones and Interleukin-6 in Serious Leisure Male Athletes," was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

21 May 2012

PGI first quarter net sales increase to $295.2 million

Polymer Group, Inc. (PGI) reported results of operations for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

16 May 2012

Researchers investigate hydrogels' potential in drug delivery

The flexible properties of hydrogels - highly absorbent, gelatinous polymers that shrink and expand depending on environmental conditions such as humidity, pH and temperature - have made them ideal for applications from contact lenses to baby diapers and adhesives.

4 May 2012

New bio-inspired approach can synthesize polymers

A new bio-inspired approach to synthesising polymers will offer unprecedented control over the final polymer structure and yield advances in nanomedicine, researchers say.

3 May 2012

Two MSU researchers invent protein purifier for pharma companies

Two Michigan State University researchers have invented a protein purifier that could help pharmaceutical companies save time and money.

2 May 2012

LCP molecules can treat prion diseases

Toxic prions in the brain can be detected with self-illuminating polymers. The originators, at Linköping University in Sweden, has now shown that the same molecules can also render the prions harmless, and potentially cure fatal nerve-destroying illnesses.

25 Apr 2012

BIND announces data from BIND-014 Phase 1 trials on prostate cancer

Nanomedicine research at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT funded by a $5 million grant from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) has delivered the first nanomedicine shown to successfully target prostate cancer cells and deliver docetaxel chemotherapy in high concentrations in Phase I clinical trials.

5 Apr 2012