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Scientists make a strain of E. coli glow under fluorescent light

A team of Michigan Technological University researchers led by Associate Professor of Chemistry Haiying Liu has discovered how to make a strain of E. coli glow under fluorescent light.

5 Mar 2009

ESA Biosciences to launch Corona CAD at Pittcon 2009

ESA Biosciences, Inc., a Magellan Biosciences company and leader in novel HPLC systems that improve results for pharmaceutical development and QA/QC, life science, and analytical-chemistry customers worldwide, will launch a new, ultra-high-performance version of its award-winning Corona CAD at Pittcon 2009.

2 Mar 2009

Oxford Nanopore announces publication of DNA analysis paper

Oxford Nanopore Technologies ("Oxford Nanopore") today announced the publication of new research in Nature Nanotechnology, demonstrating accurate and continuous identification of DNA bases using nanopores.

From Oxford Nanopore Technologies 23 Feb 2009

Artificial cells, simple model for complex structure

A simple, chemical materials model may lead to a better understanding of the structure and organization of the cell according to a Penn State researcher.

16 Feb 2009

Polymer nanoparticle for oral anticancer drug delivery

One of the problems that cancer patients face is that many of the most potent anticancer therapies can be administered only by injection, which means that cancer patients must travel to receive their medication. But thanks to a new type of nanoparticle developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, future cancer patients may be able to receive their medication in pill form.

18 Jan 2009

Targeted nanoparticles deliver therapeutic DNA to cancer cells

Given that cancer is a disease caused by gene mutations, cancer researchers have been striving to develop gene therapies aimed at correcting these mutations. However, these efforts have been hobbled by the difficulty in safely and efficiently delivering anticancer genes to tumors. Nanoparticles, however, may solve these delivery issues, and two recently published studies, using two different types of nanoparticles, lend credence to that hypothesis.

29 Dec 2008

Gold nanowires zap cancer

The next big thing in cancer treatment may be hotter, covered in more gold, and even be a better swimmer than recent Olympic champion Michael Phelps.

18 Dec 2008

Researchers simplify creation induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells

Bryce Carey, an MIT graduate student working in the lab of Whitehead Member Rudolf Jaenisch, spearheaded the effort by joining in tandem the four reprogramming genes through the use of bits of DNA that code for polymers known as 2A peptides. Working with others in the lab, he then manufactured a so-called polycistronic virus capable of expressing all four reprogramming genes once it is inserted into the genomes of mature mouse and human cells.

15 Dec 2008

Intradigm issued new RNAi therapeutics patent

Intradigm Corporation has announced the issuance of United States patent 7,459,547, entitled "Methods and Compositions for Controlling Efficacy of RNA Silencing."

3 Dec 2008

Smart materials to revolutionise surgical implants

A brand new process that could revolutionise the reliability and durability of surgical implants, such as hip and knee replacements, has today, 2 December 08, received recognition for its medical and commercial potential by achieving one of the world's most sought after accolades.

2 Dec 2008

Scientists create new soap free emulsion polymerization process

Research chemists at the University of Warwick have devised an elegant process which simply and cheaply covers small particles of polymer with a layer of silica-based nanoparticles.

24 Nov 2008

Targeted nanoparticles boost platinum-based anticancer therapy

A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-Harvard Center for Nanotechnology Excellence has custom-designed nanoparticles that can deliver the anticancer drug cisplatin specifically to prostate cancer cells.

20 Nov 2008

Novel new approach to polymer synthesis

In the not-so-distant future, plastics could be more durable and rubbers could be more … well … rubbery thanks to a novel new approach to polymer synthesis discovered by Texas Tech University organic chemists.

8 Nov 2008

Scientists at MIT create backpacks for cells which deliver chemotherapy agents

MIT engineers have outfitted cells with tiny "backpacks" that could allow them to deliver chemotherapy agents, diagnose tumors or become building blocks for tissue engineering.

7 Nov 2008

New molecules with many branches will help unleash potential of nanotechnology

Materials science and the pharmaceutical industry could soon be revolutionized by emerging nanotechnologies based on designer molecules with long complex tree-and branch structures. Such molecules offer almost limitless scope for design of bespoke compounds for specific applications in disease therapy, for novel materials such as resins, as well as electronic displays, and energy storage. Almost every field involving design and synthesis of chemical compounds will be transformed by the arrival of technologies allowing nanoscale design of these branched molecules, known as hyperbranched polymers.

26 Oct 2008

Multifunctional polymer nanoparticles pass critical in vivo test

In an effort to overcome the drug resistance that often occurs in cancer, a team of investigators has developed a nanoparticle made of a blend of polymers that first releases a powerful anticancer drug and then delivers an agent that tricks a drug-resistant cell into committing suicide. Now, tests in mice with human breast cancer have shown that these blended nanoparticles are effective in maintaining high levels of both drugs in the vicinity of tumors.

28 Sep 2008

Nanobubbles deliver targeted cancer drugs using ultrasound

Using a combination of polymers that respond to temperature, a research team at the University of Utah has developed a multifunctional nanoparticle that can image tumors using ultrasound and simultaneously deliver cell-damaging energy and anticancer drugs to those tumors. In addition, these nanoparticles appear to act specifically on tumors and not on healthy tissue.

28 Sep 2008

Plastic coatings could help medical implants connect with neurons

Plastic coatings could someday help neural implants treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson's disease and macular degeneration.

21 Aug 2008

Scientists engineer first drug-delivery particles capable of passing through human mucus

Chemical engineers from Johns Hopkins University have broken the "mucus barrier," engineering the first drug-delivery particles capable of passing through human mucus - regarded by many as nearly impenetrable - and carrying medication that could treat a range of diseases. Those conditions include lung cancer, cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis, the research noted in a presentation scheduled for the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

20 Aug 2008