Polymers News and Research

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Better magnetic nanoparticles

Using a polymer coating designed to resemble the outer surface of a cell membrane, a team of investigators led by Steve Armes, Ph.D., of the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, has created a highly stable, biocompatible magnetic nanoparticle expected to improve the sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

18 Dec 2006

Nanotechnology continues to advance anticancer gene therapy

Given that cancer is a disease in which genetic errors play a major role, it should come as no surprise that many experts envision a time when gene therapy will play an equally important role in the treatment of cancer.

20 Nov 2006

Nanoparticles for two-photon photodynamic therapy in living cells

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a combination of ultraviolet or visible light and a light-sensitive chemical, or photosensitizer, to kill cancer cells using reactive oxygen.

6 Nov 2006

Formulation of functionalized PLGA-PEG nanoparticles for in vivo targeted drug delivery

Though researchers have made substantial progress in developing drug-ferrying nanoparticles that successfully target tumor cells in living animals, including humans, investigators have only now started the detailed work needed to identify formulation parameters that would optimize drug delivery to malignant cells.

6 Nov 2006

Polymer and ceramic biodegradable materials that carry bone growth enhancing substances

Rapid and guided healing of bones has moved a step closer with research by two biomedical engineering students who have found new ways to deliver bone growth enhancers directly to broken or weakened bones.

31 Oct 2006

Photochemistry creates drug-trapping nanoparticles

Many of the most potent anticancer agents are poorly soluble in water, presenting a challenge for medicinal chemists who must develop methods of delivering these drugs in the watery environment of the human body.

9 Oct 2006

Nanoparticle encapsulation improves bioavailability of leukemia drug

Busulfan, which belongs to a family of drugs known as alkylating agents, is used to treat hematological malignancies, including chronic myelogenous leukemia.

9 Oct 2006

St. John's wort and polymeric nanoparticles to treat ovarian tumors using light

By combining a compound produced by the plant St. John's wort with polymeric nanoparticles, researchers at the University of Geneva in Switzerland have developed a promising method for treating ovarian tumors using light.

21 Aug 2006

Metal-organic crystals with large pores store drugs and release them over time

A French–Spanish research team has now developed a new type of carrier that can take on a particularly large "load" of medication and then release it in a controlled fashion: metal–organic frameworks with large cavities.

7 Aug 2006

Scientists develop piezoresponse force microscopy

A seminal early event in the history of nanotechnology was the development of the atomic force microscope (AFM), which used a nanoscale cantilever to image solid materials at the atomic level.

17 Jul 2006

Thermosensitive pluronic micelles stabilized by shell cross-linking with gold nanoparticles

Many types of nanoparticles can cross the cell membrane and deliver their therapeutic payload into tumor cells.

3 Jul 2006

Revolutionary dissolvable scaffold for growing new areas of skin

A revolutionary dissolvable scaffold for growing new areas of skin could provide a safer, more effective way of treating burns, diabetic ulcers and similar injuries.

27 Jun 2006

Imitating nature's scaffolding

A team of researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) has successfully created artificial fibers with nanometer-sized features that can be used to grow cells and tissue structures.

20 Apr 2006

Biodegradable drug containing nano-particles effective in killing human breast tumors

Research studies, based at the University of Pennsylvania, demonstrate that biodegradable nano-particles containing two potent cancer-fighting drugs are effective in killing human breast tumors.

11 Apr 2006

Crucial breakthrough in pectin biosynthesis

Most people know pectin as a common household gelling agent in making jams and jellies, but its uses are vast. It has anticancer properties, for instance, and may have a role in important biological functions including plant growth and development and defense against disease.

22 Mar 2006

Rhodium quinones promise better drugs

By combining a common organic compound with a rare metal, a team of Brown University chemists has created a new class of molecules that have potentially important applications for the pharmaceutical, chemical and energy industries.

1 Mar 2006

Hand-held device for detecting illegal and legal drugs

A real-time sensor for detecting cocaine - made with inexpensive, off-the-shelf electronics - has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

1 Mar 2006

Ice-templated fabrication shows promise for artificial bone

The next generation of artificial bone may rely on a few secrets from the sea. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have harnessed the way seawater freezes to develop a porous, scaffolding-like material that is four times stronger than material currently used in synthetic bone.

7 Feb 2006

Advanced Biomaterial Systems receives U.S. patent for mixing and dispensing apparatus

Advanced Biomaterial Systems, Inc. (ABS) has received U.S. patent 6,984,063 for an Apparatus for Mixing and Dispensing Components. This patent is a continuation of several patents which incorporate twistOR and Plexis technology.

23 Jan 2006

Australian bionic ear pioneer awarded science medal

University of Melbourne Laureate Professorial Fellow and bionic ear pioneer Professor Graeme Clark has been awarded the 2006 Ian Wark Medal from the Australian Academy of Science.

15 Dec 2005