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.

Preclinical studies of BIND-014 to be presented at ACS National Meeting

BIND Biosciences announced today the presentation of its Medicinal Nanoengineering platform at the ACS National Meeting, including results from preclinical studies on its lead nanomedicine drug , BIND-014, scheduled to enter clinical trials later this year. BIND-014 is a targeted, polymeric nanoparticle containing the cytotoxic agent, docetaxel, which is approved in major cancer indications, including breast, prostate and lung.

23 Aug 2010

Midatech Group, MonoSol Rx file patent to enable commercialization of drug delivery technology

Midatech Group Ltd., a global leader for the design, development, synthesis and manufacture of nanomedicines, and MonoSol Rx, the leader in developing and manufacturing pharmaceutical films based on its proprietary PharmFilm drug delivery technology, today announced the filing of a provisional US patent application for "Nanoparticle Film Delivery Systems." The applications submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) relate to therapeutic uses of nanoparticle-based proteins and peptides delivered in pharmaceutical films.

18 Aug 2010

Nanoparticle-based gene silencing system inhibits angiogenesis process in tumor growth

A protein associated with cancer progression when abundant inside of tumors also unexpectedly regulates the creation of new blood vessels that feed the tumor outside, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in the August edition of Cancer Cell.

17 Aug 2010

NIDA grants Selecta Biosciences $3M to develop nicotine vaccine for smoking cessation and relapse prevention

Selecta Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing synthetic nanoparticle vaccines and immunotherapies, today announced that it has been awarded a grant for $3 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), an institute within the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The grant is aimed at advancing the development of an enhanced therapeutic nicotine vaccine for the treatment of smoking cessation and relapse prevention.

16 Aug 2010

New T cell engineering approach can improve success rate of immune-cell therapies

Clinical trials using patients' own immune cells to target tumors have yielded promising results. However, this approach usually works only if the patients also receive large doses of drugs designed to help immune cells multiply rapidly, and those drugs have life-threatening side effects. Now a team of MIT engineers has devised a way to deliver the necessary drugs by smuggling them on the backs of the cells sent in to fight the tumor. That way, the drugs reach only their intended targets, greatly reducing the risk to the patient.

16 Aug 2010

Researchers develop screening tool to observe nanoparticle reaction inside the body

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a method for predicting the ways nanoparticles will interact with biological systems - including the human body. Their work could have implications for improved human and environmental safety in the handling of nanomaterials, as well as applications for drug delivery.

16 Aug 2010

Venom-based nanoparticles improve gene therapy for fighting glioma

An ingredient in the venom of the "deathstalker" scorpion could help gene therapy become an effective treatment for brain cancer, scientists are reporting. The substance allows therapeutic genes - genes that treat disease - to reach more brain cancer cells than current approaches, according to the study in ACS Nano, a monthly journal.

12 Aug 2010

Microfluidics reports $143,000 net income for second-quarter 2010 vs. $177,000 loss in second-quarter 2009

Microfluidics International Corporation, today reported unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

11 Aug 2010

Breath test to detect cancer: Study

According to researchers cancer may soon be detectable using a breath test. They are now developing sensors that can detect chemical markers of lung, breast, bowel and prostate cancer in a person's breath. The new portable device has been purported as an “electronic nose” that can detect early cancers. As a cancer grows, the surface of the cells emits chemicals. The research found that sensors – involving gold nanoparticles – could be used to detect these chemicals in the breath.

10 Aug 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals reports significant progress in discovery of novel technologies for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and collaborators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The University of British Columbia (UBC), AlCana Technologies, Inc., and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, presented results from multiple ongoing research efforts regarding the discovery of novel technologies for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

10 Aug 2010

Researchers discover first combined device for probing, detecting DNA

DNA microarrays are one of the most powerful tools in molecular biology today. The devices, which can be used to probe biological samples and detect particular genes or genetic sequences, are employed in everything from forensic analysis to disease detection to drug development.

4 Aug 2010

An overview of ESA-s Annual Meeting

Whether it is a single rock being overturned or an entire mountaintop being removed, humans play a continuous role in environmental processes, and vice versa. Ecological scientists will discuss findings on human-ecosystem interactions-from the effects of nanomaterials on plant growth to the diversity of insect species on green roofs, and even communities of airborne microbes in hospital buildings-at the Ecological Society of America's 95th Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh from August 1-6, 2010. Here is just some of the research on humans and the environment to be presented:

3 Aug 2010

Scientists identify way to regulate uncontrolled growth of blood vessels

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a new way to regulate the uncontrolled growth of blood vessels, a major problem in a broad range of diseases and conditions.

2 Aug 2010

New Zealand MEDSAFE approves ABRAXANE for metastatic breast cancer

Abraxis BioScience, Inc., a fully integrated, global biotechnology company, and Specialised Therapeutics Ltd. today announced that MEDSAFE, the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, has approved for marketing ABRAXANE® (nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer after failure of anthracycline therapy.

29 Jul 2010

Scientists unveil nanoparticle for photoacoustic imaging

Spotting a single cancerous cell that has broken free from a tumor and is traveling through the bloodstream to colonize a new organ might seem like finding a needle in a haystack. But a new imaging technique from the University of Washington is a first step toward making this possible.UW researchers have developed a multifunctional nanoparticle that eliminates the background noise, enabling a more precise form of medical imaging - essentially erasing the haystack, so the needle shines through. A successful demonstration with photoacoustic imaging was reported today (July 27) in the journal Nature Communications.

28 Jul 2010

Scientists develop laser activated carbon nanoparticles for drug, gene delivery

Using chemical "nanoblasts" that punch tiny holes in the protective membranes of cells, researchers have demonstrated a new technique for getting therapeutic small molecules, proteins and DNA directly into living cells.Carbon nanoparticles activated by bursts of laser light trigger the tiny blasts, which open holes in cell membranes just long enough to admit therapeutic agents contained in the surrounding fluid. By adjusting laser exposure, the researchers administered a small-molecule marker compound to 90 percent of targeted cells - while keeping more than 90 percent of the cells alive.

28 Jul 2010

Attaching transferrin to nanoparticle surface can kill cancer cells

A normally benign protein found in the human body appears to be able - when paired with nanoparticles - to zero in on and kill certain cancer cells, without having to also load those particles with chemotherapy drugs.The finding could lead to a new strategy for targeted cancer therapies, according to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists who made the discovery.

28 Jul 2010

Nano-patch to replace needles for vaccination soon: Study

Those who fear needles have good news awaiting them. Australian researchers have developed a new method of vaccine delivery using needle-free nano-patches. These could also be mailed to people during pandemics. This breakthrough is published in the latest edition of the journal Small.

26 Jul 2010

Taiho Pharmaceutical receives approval to market ABRAXANE IV Infusion 100 mg in Japan

Abraxis BioScience, Inc., a fully integrated, global biotechnology company, today announced that Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has received approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to market ABRAXANE IV Infusion 100 mg, Paclitaxel Injection (Suspension with Albumin), for use in the treatment of breast cancer. The New Drug Application (J-NDA) for ABRAXANE was filed with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in 2008.

23 Jul 2010

Researchers develop laser-induced thermal therapy to treat cancer

A group of researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is developing a way to treat cancer by using lasers to light up tiny nanoparticles and destroy tumors with the ensuing heat. Today at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine in Philadelphia, they will describe the latest development for this technology: iron-containing Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes threads of hollow carbon that are 10 thousand times thinner than a human hair.

22 Jul 2010

Nanoparticle News and Research

Further Reading

Preclinical studies of BIND-014 to be presented at ACS National Meeting

Midatech Group, MonoSol Rx file patent to enable commercialization of drug delivery technology

Nanoparticle-based gene silencing system inhibits angiogenesis process in tumor growth

NIDA grants Selecta Biosciences $3M to develop nicotine vaccine for smoking cessation and relapse prevention

New T cell engineering approach can improve success rate of immune-cell therapies

Researchers develop screening tool to observe nanoparticle reaction inside the body

Venom-based nanoparticles improve gene therapy for fighting glioma

Microfluidics reports $143,000 net income for second-quarter 2010 vs. $177,000 loss in second-quarter 2009

Breath test to detect cancer: Study

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals reports significant progress in discovery of novel technologies for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics

Researchers discover first combined device for probing, detecting DNA

An overview of ESA-s Annual Meeting

Scientists identify way to regulate uncontrolled growth of blood vessels

New Zealand MEDSAFE approves ABRAXANE for metastatic breast cancer

Scientists unveil nanoparticle for photoacoustic imaging

Scientists develop laser activated carbon nanoparticles for drug, gene delivery

Attaching transferrin to nanoparticle surface can kill cancer cells

Nano-patch to replace needles for vaccination soon: Study

Taiho Pharmaceutical receives approval to market ABRAXANE IV Infusion 100 mg in Japan

Researchers develop laser-induced thermal therapy to treat cancer

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