Nanoparticle News and Research

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In nanotechnology, a particle is defined as a small object that behaves as a whole unit in terms of its transport and properties. It is further classified according to size: in terms of diameter, fine particles cover a range between 100 and 2500 nanometers, while ultrafine particles, on the other hand, are sized between 1 and 100 nanometers.

Bioengineer receives $1.4M grant to create nanoparticle system to shore up arterial walls

A UT Arlington bioengineer has received a four-year, $1.4 million National Institutes of Health grant to create a nanoparticle system to shore up arterial walls following angioplasty and stenting procedures to treat coronary arterial disease.

5 Feb 2014

Scientists engineered microchip coated with blood vessel cells to study cardiovascular nanomedicine

Designing nanomedicine to combat diseases is a hot area of scientific research, primarily for treating cancer, but very little is known in the context of atherosclerotic disease.

5 Feb 2014

Researchers create vaginal cream using silver nanoparticles to control transmition of HIV

The product has proven efficiency in lab tests, although clinical trials are yet to be performed. After discovering that silver nanoparticles are capable of blocking the entry of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) into the organism, a group of researchers from the University of Texas, in collaboration with Humberto Lara Villegas, specialist in nanoparticles and virology from the University of Monterrey, Mexico (UDEM), create a vaginal cream to control the transmition of the virus.

28 Jan 2014

Scientists showcase HDL nanotherapy that may provide solution to repeat heart attacks

Up to 30 percent of heart attack patients suffer a new heart attack because cardiologists are unable to control inflammation inside heart arteries - the process that leads to clots rupturing and causing myocardial infarction or stroke.

22 Jan 2014

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards $2.25M to six innovative young scientists

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation announced that six scientists with novel approaches to fighting cancer have been named 2014 recipients of the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award. The grant of $450,000 over three years is awarded each year to early career scientists whose projects have the potential to significantly impact the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

21 Jan 2014

New technology may provide solution to high risk of repeat heart attacks, say scientists

Up to 30 percent of heart attack patients suffer a new heart attack because cardiologists are unable to control inflammation inside heart arteries — the process that leads to clots rupturing and causing myocardial infarction or stroke.

20 Jan 2014

Breakthrough technology could provide new approach for treatment of chronic wounds

A team of researchers led by an NIBIB grantee at Vanderbilt University has created a biodegradable scaffold that enables sustained, local delivery of gene-silencing factors called siRNA to promote tissue regeneration. The team recently used the scaffold to successfully deliver siRNA to mice in order to locally silence a gene normally responsible for inhibiting blood vessel formation.

20 Jan 2014

New gold nanoparticle method allows for tracking studies of virus pathways in tissues

Enteroviruses are pathogenic viruses infecting humans. This group consists of polioviruses, coxsackieviruses, echoviruses and rhinoviruses. Enteroviruses are the most common causes of flu, but they also cause serious symptoms such as heart muscle infections and paralysis. Recently, enteroviruses have been linked with chronic diseases such as diabetes.

15 Jan 2014

New system allows us to power our devices long after sun goes down

Solar energy has long been used as a clean alternative to fossil fuels such as coal and oil, but it could only be harnessed during the day when the sun's rays were strongest. Now researchers led by Tom Meyer at the Energy Frontier Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have built a system that converts the sun's energy not into electricity but hydrogen fuel and stores it for later use, allowing us to power our devices long after the sun goes down.

15 Jan 2014

Nano-luteolin has immense potential for future studies of chemoprevention, say researchers

Researchers at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered a more effective drug delivery system using nanotechnology that could one day significantly affect cancer prevention.

8 Jan 2014

Professor receives ALSF grant to develop cancer vaccine technology that help children to have healthy life

In 2004, a form of cancer known as neuroblastoma claimed the life of Alexandra (Alex) Scott, a little girl who gained national attention for using her lemonade stand to raise money for cancer research.

8 Jan 2014

Cancer cells less likely to develop resistance when multiple drugs delivered simultaneously

Researchers have developed a technique for creating nanoparticles that carry two different cancer-killing drugs into the body and deliver those drugs to separate parts of the cancer cell where they will be most effective. The technique was developed by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

7 Jan 2014

New research assesses nanomedicine-based approaches for treating cancer

As cancer maintains its standing as the second leading cause of death in the U.S., researchers have continued their quest for safer and more effective treatments. Among the most promising advances has been the rise of nanomedicine, the application of tiny materials and devices whose sizes are measured in the billionths of a meter to detect, diagnose and treat disease.

20 Dec 2013

Ancon Technologies unveils new cancer-screening device

Ancon Technologies, a company devoted to finding new ways to beat cancer, recently unveiled a new cancer-screening device to the public, the NBT detector. The company's latest product aims to bring cancer detection to the next level: it uses Nanoparticle Biomarker Tagging technology to identify cancer biomarkers in exhaled air.

6 Dec 2013

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

Nanosponges that soak up a dangerous pore-forming toxin produced by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) could serve as a safe and effective vaccine against this toxin. This "nanosponge vaccine" enabled the immune systems of mice to block the adverse effects of the alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA-both within the bloodstream and on the skin. Nanoengineers from the University of California, San Diego described the safety and efficacy of this nanosponge vaccine in the December 1 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

2 Dec 2013

Drugs delivered by nanoparticles hold promise for targeted treatment of many diseases, including cancer

Drugs delivered by nanoparticles hold promise for targeted treatment of many diseases, including cancer. However, the particles have to be injected into patients, which has limited their usefulness so far.

27 Nov 2013

BUSM & BMC win GCE grant to develop next-generation condom using nanotechnology

The department of radiology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

26 Nov 2013

Probe to measure immune function could lead to determine nanoparticle-based drugs for cancer patients

The development of a probe to measure the body's immune function could lead to more accurate, individualized doses for cancer patients prescribed nanoparticle-based drugs, according to research conducted at the University of North Carolina.

21 Nov 2013

Oxford scientists use nanoparticles to study mechanisms underlying 'mystery' cases of infertility

A way of using nanoparticles to investigate the mechanisms underlying 'mystery' cases of infertility has been developed by scientists at Oxford University.

18 Nov 2013

Novel combination anti-psoriasis therapy targets genetic abnormalities in deeper layers of the skin

A novel combination anti-psoriasis therapy has potential for superior and longer-lasting therapeutic effects than current topical treatments by targeting genetic abnormalities in deeper layers of the skin. This research is being presented at the 2013 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting and Exposition, the world's largest pharmaceutical sciences meeting, in San Antonio, Nov. 10-14.

15 Nov 2013