Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanovaults Used to Prod Immune System to Fight Cancer
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a way to “wake up” the immune system to fight cancer by delivering an immune system–stimulating protein in a nanoscale container called a vault directly into lung cancer tumors. The new method harnesses the body’s natural defenses to fight [...]
Removable ‘Cloak’ for Nanoparticles Helps Them Target Tumors
Chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a new type of drug-delivery nanoparticle that exploits a trait shared by almost all tumors: They are more acidic than healthy tissues. Such particles could target nearly any type of tumor, and can be designed to carry virtually any type [...]
Nanomedicine One Step Closer to Reality
A class of engineered nanoparticles—gold-centered spheres smaller than viruses—has been shown safe when administered by two alternative routes in a mouse study led by investigators at the Stanford University Medical School. This marks the first step up the ladder of toxicology studies that, within a year and a half, could [...]
RNA Nanoparticles Safely Deliver Long-Lasting Therapy to Cells
Nanotechnology researchers have known for years that RNA, the cousin of DNA, is a promising tool for nanotherapy, but the difficulties of producing long-lasting, therapeutic RNA that remains stable and non-toxic while entering targeted cells have posed challenges for their progress. Now, in two papers published in the journal Molecular [...]
New Biosensor Microchip Could Speed Up Drug Development
A team of investigators from Stanford University has developed a new biosensor microchip that could significantly speed up the process of drug development. The microchips, packed with highly sensitive magnetic nanosensors, analyze how proteins bind to one another, a critical step for evaluating the effectiveness and possible side effects of [...]
