Bio & Medicine news

Nanoparticles may cause DNA damage across a cellular barrier

Nov 05, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (9) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have shown in the laboratory that metal nanoparticles damaged the DNA in cells on the other side of a cellular barrier. The research, by the University of Bristol, is published ...

Nanoparticles for gene therapy improve

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Nov 06, 2009 | 5 / 5 (5) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- About five years ago, Professor Janet Sawicki at the Lankenau Institute in Pennsylvania read an article about nanoparticles developed by MIT's Robert Langer for gene therapy, the insertion ...

Two-In-One Punch Knocks Out Drug Resistant Cancer Cells

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Nov 04, 2009 | 5 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Cancer cells, like bacteria, can develop resistance to drug therapy, leading to relapse of disease. One approach showing promise in overcoming multidrug resistance in tumors is to combine two different anticancer ...

Magnetism Turns Drug Release On and Off

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Oct 30, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Many medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and chronic pain, require medications that cannot be taken orally, but must be dosed intermittently, on an as-needed basis, over a long period of time. A few delivery techniques ...

Tumors Feel the Deadly Sting of Nanobees

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Aug 28, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (13) | 3

When bees sting, they pump into their victims a peptide toxin called melittin that destroys cell membranes. Now, by encapsulating this extremely potent molecule within a nanoparticle, researchers at the Washington University ...

When Nano May Not Be Nano

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Sep 13, 2009 | 3.3 / 5 (8) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- The same properties of nanoparticles that make them so appealing to manufacturers may also have negative effects on the environment and human health. However, little is known which particles ...

Study shows how carbon nanotubes can affect lining of the lungs

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Oct 25, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (10) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Carbon nanotubes are being considered for use in everything from sports equipment to medical applications, but a great deal remains unknown about whether these materials cause respiratory ...

A Tiny Cage of Gold Responds to Light, Opening to Empty Its Contents

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Nov 19, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a polymer-coated gold nanocage that not only opens in response to light to release a small amount of a drug payload, but then closes when the ...

When It Comes to Drug Delivery, Size Matters

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Nov 20, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the great promises of nanotechnologies lies in its ability to create drug-containing nanoparticles decorated with targeting molecules that recognize and bind to cancer cells, providing drug delivery ...

Detecting the Undetectable in Prostate Cancer Testing

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Nov 18, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Northwestern University researchers, using an extremely sensitive nanotechnology-based tool known as the biobarcode system, has detected previously undetectable levels of prostate-specific antigen ...

Small nanoparticles bring big improvement to medical imaging

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Nov 18, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important—especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require high-spatial-resolution ...

Magnetic Nanotags Spot Cancer in Mice Earlier Than Current Methods

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Nov 17, 2009 | 3 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Searching for biomarkers that can warn of diseases such as cancer while they are still in their earliest stage is likely to become far easier thanks to an innovative biosensor chip developed by Stanford University ...

Implantable Device Offers Continuous Cancer Monitoring

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Jul 21, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Surgical removal of a tissue sample is now the standard for diagnosing cancer. Such procedures, known as biopsies, are accurate but offer only a snapshot of the tumor at a single moment in time.

'NanoPen' may write new chapter in nanotechnology manufacturing

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Sep 02, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (7) | 0

Researchers in California are reporting development of a so-called "NanoPen" that could provide a quick, convenient way of laying down patterns of nanoparticles — from wires to circuits — for making futuristic ...

Nanodiamonds Advance Anticancer Gene Therapy

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

Sep 25, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Gene therapy holds promise in the treatment of cancer as well as a large number of other diseases. However, developing a scalable system for delivering genes to cells both efficiently and safely has been ...