Nanotechnology News and Research

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Aptamer-targeted nanoparticles collect and detect cancer cells

Using magnetic and fluorescent nanoparticles capable of binding tightly to molecules found only on the surface of cancer cells, a team of investigators at the University of Florida has developed a method for collecting and detecting multiple cancer cells from biological samples.

14 Jun 2007

Nanosized bioceramic particles could function as efficient gene delivery vehicles with target specificity for the spleen

A detailed comparison of different types of ceramic nanoparticles has found that those made of silica can efficiently transport therapeutic genes to the spleen and trigger a potent immune response capable of attacking tumors.

14 Jun 2007

Quantum dots outline brain tumors for surgical removal

Although surgical removal of a tumor can be the most effective way of treating brain cancer, neurosurgeons are often faced with the dilemma of determining the exact border between a tumor and the healthy tissue that surrounds it.

14 Jun 2007

Nanoparticle-enabled peptide delivery triggers tumor regression

Cells possess a variety of ways of dealing with mutations that can cause them to grow uncontrollably and eventually form a tumor. The tumor suppressor gene p53 plays a critical role in these cancer prevention processes, largely by triggering a form a cell death known as apoptosis.

14 Jun 2007

Nanoprobes with near-infrared persistent luminescence for in vivo imaging

In a new take on use of luminescent nanoparticles as cancer imaging probes, a team of investigators from several research institutes in Paris, France, has developed new metal-containing nanoparticles that emit light for several hours after they are initially excited.

14 Jun 2007

Interfacing silicon nanowires with mammalian cells

A research team at the University of California, Berkeley, has achieved a significant step toward one of the futuristic goals of nanomedicine and nanobiology-developing technology for "wiring" together individual cells.

14 Jun 2007

Trial shows nanoparticle-enabled thermal therapy safe for treating cancer

Several types of metal nanoparticles are capable of converting energy, such as that carried by near-infrared light or an oscillating magnetic field, into heat at a level high enough to kill tumors.

14 Jun 2007

Hybrid gold-dendrimer nanoparticles target and image tumors

Dendrimer nanoparticles, made of spherical, highly branched polymers, have shown promise as drug delivery vehicles capable of targeting tumors with large doses of anticancer drugs.

14 Jun 2007

Double-duty nanoparticles overcome drug resistance in tumors

Cancer cells, like bacteria, can develop resistance to drug therapy. In fact, research suggests strongly that multidrug resistant cancer cells that remain alive after chemotherapy are responsible for the reappearance of tumors and the poor prognosis for patients whose cancer recurs.

14 Jun 2007

Funding to upgrade stem cell research facilities at UC San Diego

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Human Stem Cell Core Facility, which supports multiple research projects using stem cells to advance the understanding and ultimately the treatment of disease and injury, will receive a $2.8 million Shared Research Laboratory Grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

8 Jun 2007

Real-time, direct MRI monitoring of vector distribution within the brain

A team of scientists, led by Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz, University of California-San Francisco, presented this significant advance, which allows, for the first time, to adjust parameters of vector infusion while delivering gene therapy, giving surgeon full control over gene transfer technology.

3 Jun 2007

New method for making the surface of metal stents highly nano porous

Stents are medical implants that, for example, prevent the blocking of arteries after surgery.

1 Jun 2007

3-D plasma coating technique keeps veins and arteries open

Scientists at the University of Ulster are working on a new method of coating stents – the medical devices used to keep veins and arteries open – to prevent them blocking up.

30 May 2007

Scientists evolve new proteins from scratch

Nature, through the trial and error of evolution, has discovered a vast diversity of life from what can only presumed to have been a primordial pool of building blocks.

24 May 2007

Targeted nanoparticles offer promising techniques for cancer treatment

Researchers in the laboratory of Mark E. Davis at the California Institute of Technology have been using small interfering RNA (siRNA), sometimes known as silencing RNA, to "silence" specific genes that are implicated in certain malignancies.

22 May 2007

Nanomedicine opens the way for nerve cell regeneration

The ability to regenerate nerve cells in the body could reduce the effects of trauma and disease in a dramatic way.

22 May 2007

Nanocomposite labeled cancer cells can be targeted and destroyed using lasers

A nanocomposite particle can be constructed so that it has a mix of properties that would not otherwise happen in nature.

22 May 2007

Drug eluting nanostructured coatings

Drug delivery systems have progressed from the teaspoon to time-release capsules to drug-eluting stents.

22 May 2007

Scientists target cancer cells with nanotechnology

A team of Australian scientists have developed a way to deliver lethal drug doses to tumours without causing side-effects, such as nausea and hair loss.

14 May 2007

Fluorescent nanoparticles open up new possibilities for cellular imaging

Scientists from the University of Twente, the Netherlands, have successfully exploited the optical properties of fluorescent nanoparticles to broaden the scope of single-cell microscopy.

9 May 2007