NaturalNano nanotubes improve targeting of circulating tumor cells: Study

NaturalNano, Inc. (Pink Sheets:NNAN) (Frankfurt:N3N) announced today that Dr. Michael King, a researcher at Cornell University, has published a new study demonstrating how NaturalNano nanotubes can improve targeting of circulating tumor cells (CTC's). These nanotubes, when added to the surface where cancer cells are attracted, enhance the natural rolling mechanism that Dr. King believes will allow them to be exposed to specific drugs or other therapeutic agents, or isolated for diagnostic and research purposes. Developed by Dr. King, this has significant potential for novel treatments in personalized medicine being developed at Cornell and elsewhere.

The study explores a method to more efficiently capture leukemic and epithelial cancer cells from the bloodstream by altering the nanoscale topography of the surface of P-selectin-coated capillary tubes. This is achieved by attaching naturally occurring halloysite nanotubes to the tube surface via a monolayer of poly-L-lysine. It has been found that halloysite nanotube coatings promote increased capture of leukemic cells. The article may be found online at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/la101179y

Michael King, Associate Professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University, states, "The ability to create stable coatings of halloysite using an extremely thin layer of poly-L-lysine gives us a way to create nanostructured surfaces that living cells respond to. This breakthrough could impact a number of projects we have been working on for basic research and diagnostic detection of circulating tumor cells in blood."

James Wemett, NaturalNano CEO, said, "King's lab is successfully innovating new biomedical applications of the halloysite material. An interesting result from their paper is that the halloysite had no harmful effect on the cells enabling the delivery of live cells ready for treatment or analysis."