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.

U.S. District Court rules in favor of Alnylam in patent infringement case against Tekmira

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the U.S. District Court of the District of Massachusetts has ruled in favor of Alnylam and has denied Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation's motion to dismiss certain claims and motion to disqualify Alnylam's counsel in an infringement suit filed in January 2012.

26 Sep 2012

Isolating and concentrating cells from whole blood: an interview with Victor Ugaz

There are several reasons for this. One is because analysis involving different kinds of blood cells may require you to be able to separate red blood cells from white blood cells, or plasma from whole blood etc.

21 Sep 2012

Nanoparticles for non-invasive photodynamic therapy of deep cancer

National University of Singapore researchers at the Faculty of Engineering's Department of Bioengineering have discovered a new technology that paves the way for a new safe and non-invasive method of treating deep cancer. Led by Associate Professor Zhang Yong, the team has so far, proven that their technology could inhibit tumour growth and control gene expression in mice. This is a world's first for the use of nanoparticles for non-invasive photodynamic therapy of deep cancer.

17 Sep 2012

UMass Amherst develops 'chemical nose' array to detect metastatic cancers

In the fight against cancer, knowing the enemy's exact identity is crucial for diagnosis and treatment, especially in metastatic cancers, those that spread between organs and tissues. Now chemists led by Vincent Rotello at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a rapid, sensitive way to detect microscopic levels of many different metastatic cell types in living tissue. Findings appear in the current issue of the journal ACS Nano.

14 Sep 2012

Test to identify potentially deadly calcium deposits in tissues and blood vessels

A new test could help identify and treat individuals at risk of developing potentially deadly calcium deposits in their tissues and blood vessels, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Heart disease is the number one killer of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and vascular calcification is thought to play a major role.

7 Sep 2012

Ultrastable RNA nanoparticles may help treat cancer and viral infections

A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows promise for developing ultrastable RNA nanoparticles that may help treat cancer and viral infections by regulating cell function and binding to cancers without harming surrounding tissue.

4 Sep 2012

Nanoparticle may bring great benefits to emergency treatment of brain-injury victims

A nanoparticle developed at Rice University and tested in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) may bring great benefits to the emergency treatment of brain-injury victims, even those with mild injuries.

24 Aug 2012

New results describe development of DC cancer vaccine with enhanced immunogenic potential

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and collaborators at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands announced today that they have published new pre-clinical results in the journal Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy describing the development of a dendritic cell (DC) cancer vaccine with enhanced immunogenic potential.

23 Aug 2012

RNA-delivering nanoparticles allow rapid screening of new drug targets in mice

By sequencing cancer-cell genomes, scientists have discovered vast numbers of genes that are mutated, deleted or copied in cancer cells. This treasure trove is a boon for researchers seeking new drug targets, but it is nearly impossible to test them all in a timely fashion.

16 Aug 2012

Nanobiotix, PharmaEngine partner to develop NBTXR3 for cancer

French Nanobiotix S.A. announced today that it entered into a strategic partnership with PharmaEngine, Inc. for the rapid development of NBTXR3, the lead product from the NanoXray pipeline of Nanobiotix.

6 Aug 2012

Nanobiotix, PharmaEngine partner to commercialize NBTXR3 for soft tissue sarcoma

PharmaEngine, Inc. announced today the execution of an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with France-based Nanobiotix S.A. for the development and commercialization of NBTXR3, currently being investigated in a phase I study with soft tissue sarcoma patients.

6 Aug 2012

LSDF announces $570,000 in awards to support commercialization of new health-related products

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced nearly $570,000 in awards in its inaugural corporate grant program to support commercialization of new health and health-care products by four early-stage Washington-based companies.

25 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

Positive results from Alnylam’s ALN-TTR02 Phase I trial on TTR-mediated amyloidosis

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the achievement of positive clinical results from its Phase I trial with ALN-TTR02, an RNAi therapeutic targeting the transthyretin (TTR) gene for the treatment of TTR-mediated amyloidosis.

16 Jul 2012

Researchers settle controversy over the mechanism by which silver nanoparticles kill bacteria

Rice University researchers have settled a long-standing controversy over the mechanism by which silver nanoparticles, the most widely used nanomaterial in the world, kill bacteria.

12 Jul 2012

New approach integrates rational drug design with supramolecular nanochemistry in cancer treatment

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to report a new approach that integrates rational drug design with supramolecular nanochemistry in cancer treatment.

11 Jul 2012

Nanoparticles that can slip through mucus barriers shown to protect against herpes infections

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have demonstrated, for the first time in animals, that nanoparticles can slip through mucus to deliver drugs directly to tissue surfaces in need of protection. The researchers used these mucus-penetrating particles (MPPs) to protect against vaginal herpes infections in mice and the goal is to create similar MPPs to deliver drugs that protect humans against sexually transmitted diseases or even treat cancer.

26 Jun 2012

NIH awards Sirnaomics SBIR grant for developing STP705 siRNA wound healing product

Sirnaomics, Inc. announced today that the company has been awarded another NIH SBIR grant for developing its small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic product STP705 to improve skin wound healing with minimized scar formation.

25 Jun 2012

Selenium reduces Staph populations in medical implants

Selenium is an inexpensive element that naturally belongs in the body. It is also known to combat bacteria. Still, it had not been tried as an antibiotic coating on a medical device material. In a new study, Brown University engineers report that when they used selenium nanoparticles to coat polycarbonate, the material of catheters and endotracheal tubes, the results were significant reductions in cultured populations of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, sometimes by as much as 90 percent.

22 Jun 2012

FDA provides Orphan Drug Designation to Alnylam’s ALN-TTR02

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has provided Orphan Drug Designation to ALN-TTR02 as a therapeutic for the treatment of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP), one of the predominant clinical manifestations of transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR).

20 Jun 2012