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Nanotechnology continues to advance anticancer gene therapy

Given that cancer is a disease in which genetic errors play a major role, it should come as no surprise that many experts envision a time when gene therapy will play an equally important role in the treatment of cancer.

20 Nov 2006

Low-field magnetic separation of monodisperse Fe3O4 nanocrystals

Whether the goal is to separate different types of cells or molecules, methods that rely on the age-old principle of magnetism are a staple among researchers.

20 Nov 2006

Templated self-assembly of quantum dots from aqueous solution using protein scaffolds

Quantum dots are rapidly becoming biomedical researchers' tool of choice for adding a fluorescent label to a wide variety of biomolecules.

20 Nov 2006

Scientists discover function for antisense RNA

Researchers have found that a class of RNA molecules, previously thought to have no function, may in fact protect sex cells from self-destructing. These findings will be published in the November 17 issue of the journal Cell.

20 Nov 2006

Optical amplification of photothermal therapy with gold nanoparticles and nanoclusters

Gold nanoparticles, through their unique ability to convert light into heat, show great promise as miniature heaters capable of cooking cancer cells to death.

13 Nov 2006

Modified silicon-based surfaces provide good home to proteins

Silicon, whether in its elemental form as silicon wafers or in its oxidized form, known as silicon dioxide or silica, is proving to be a valuable material for biomedical nanotechnology, in large part because of the biocompatibility and chemical inertness of these substances.

13 Nov 2006

Polymer coating improves tumor-targeting nanoparticles

Adding a thin coating of the biocompatible polymer poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to the surface of sulfur-modified, or thiolated, nanoparticles designed to fall apart inside tumors, prolongs the time that the resulting nanoparticles remain in tumors.

13 Nov 2006

A single dose of doxorubicin-functionalized bow-tie dendrimer cures mice bearing C-26 colon carcinomas

In a dramatic demonstration of the power of nanotechnology, a team of investigators has designed a nanoscale, polymeric drug delivery vehicle that when loaded with a widely used anticancer agent cures colon cancer in mice with a single dose.

13 Nov 2006

Nanoparticle probes with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic tags for cellular cancer targeting

Cancer biologists are always on the lookout for new methods of studying the effects that drug therapy has on malignant cells.

6 Nov 2006

Nanoparticles for two-photon photodynamic therapy in living cells

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a combination of ultraviolet or visible light and a light-sensitive chemical, or photosensitizer, to kill cancer cells using reactive oxygen.

6 Nov 2006

Multifunctional polymeric micelles as cancer-targeted, MRI-ultrasensitive drug delivery systems

In an attempt to create a single device that can image and treat tumors simultaneously, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have successfully melded magnetic iron nanoparticles, the anticancer drug doxorubicin, and a polymer tagged with a tumor-targeted molecule into a stable nanoparticle that accumulates inside human tumor cells.

6 Nov 2006

Formulation of functionalized PLGA-PEG nanoparticles for in vivo targeted drug delivery

Though researchers have made substantial progress in developing drug-ferrying nanoparticles that successfully target tumor cells in living animals, including humans, investigators have only now started the detailed work needed to identify formulation parameters that would optimize drug delivery to malignant cells.

6 Nov 2006

Mini artificial liver grown from stem cells

Scientists in Britain have grown the first artificial liver from stem cells, which is the first step in a process which within 10 years could see livers being grown in a laboratory for human transplants.

1 Nov 2006

Detecting rare microRNAs with gold nanoparticles

Over the past three years, numerous studies have shown that short pieces of single-stranded RNA, known as microRNAs, play a central role in the development of at least some cancers.

30 Oct 2006

Multifunctional composite nanoparticles: magnetic, luminescent, and mesoporous

Silica, the mineral of which sand is made, is generally inert in the body and can be modified easily using a variety of well-established chemical reactions.

30 Oct 2006

Self-assembling nanoparticle releases drug into cell cytoplasm

A growing body of research leaves no doubt that nanoparticles can transport drugs into cancer cells, but what is less clear is that the drug payload can exit the tiny endosomes that pull nanoparticles into cells.

30 Oct 2006

Twisted molecule, large and folded like a protein - but completely synthetic

The physiological functions of proteins depend on their folding into a particular spatial structure (tertiary structure): enzymes and their substrates must fit together like the proverbial lock and key.

26 Oct 2006

Researchers identify peptide that spurs cargo transport in nerve cells

For the first time, researchers have identified a peptide that can spur cargo transport in nerve cells, a discovery that could help scientists better understand nerve cell function and test possible therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

24 Oct 2006

Scientists explain how transport proteins can move in cells without bumping into or sticking to anything

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, along with a colleague from the University of Florida in the United States, have been carrying out research into how transport proteins can move in cells without bumping into or sticking to anything.

24 Oct 2006

1,500 animal species practice homosexuality

Homosexuality is quite common in the animal kingdom, especially among herding animals. Many animals solve conflicts by practicing same gender sex.

23 Oct 2006

Medical Science News

Nanotechnology continues to advance anticancer gene therapy

Low-field magnetic separation of monodisperse Fe3O4 nanocrystals

Templated self-assembly of quantum dots from aqueous solution using protein scaffolds

Scientists discover function for antisense RNA

Optical amplification of photothermal therapy with gold nanoparticles and nanoclusters

Modified silicon-based surfaces provide good home to proteins

Polymer coating improves tumor-targeting nanoparticles

A single dose of doxorubicin-functionalized bow-tie dendrimer cures mice bearing C-26 colon carcinomas

Nanoparticle probes with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic tags for cellular cancer targeting

Nanoparticles for two-photon photodynamic therapy in living cells

Multifunctional polymeric micelles as cancer-targeted, MRI-ultrasensitive drug delivery systems

Formulation of functionalized PLGA-PEG nanoparticles for in vivo targeted drug delivery

Mini artificial liver grown from stem cells

Detecting rare microRNAs with gold nanoparticles

Multifunctional composite nanoparticles: magnetic, luminescent, and mesoporous

Self-assembling nanoparticle releases drug into cell cytoplasm

Twisted molecule, large and folded like a protein - but completely synthetic

Researchers identify peptide that spurs cargo transport in nerve cells

Scientists explain how transport proteins can move in cells without bumping into or sticking to anything

1,500 animal species practice homosexuality

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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