Tag: Nanomedicine

New Exhaled Breath Sensor to Spot Diseases, Monitor Health

At KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, researchers have developed a new breath sensor that uses protein-encapsulated nanocatalysts to spot certain biomarkers of diseases. While the breath can hold a lot of information about what’s going on inside the body, the variety of gasses present and the la (Read more...)

Medical Device Coating Points To and Kills Bacteria

Researchers at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) in Saudi Arabia, not to be confused with KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), have developed a special nanoparticle coating that can be used to give the surfaces of medical devices antibacterial properties. The coating is made of  gold nanoclusters (Read more...)

Using Light to Activate Genes and Kill Cancer

Scientists at Kyoto University in Japan have developed a gene delivery system, involving gold nanorods and a near infrared laser, which can transport a gene into cells and activate it. Changing gene expression is a powerful way to affect cell behavior, and scientists hope to use this approach to treat a variety of diseases. Researchers […]

Exosomes, The Elusive Tiny Vesicles Produced by Cells, Have Lots of Potential for Medicine

Exosomes are tiny capsules (30-130 nanometers) produced by cells that seem to be involved in all sorts of processes within the body, but only lately have they been properly studied. Because these natural nanoparticles are involved in many different biochemical processes, they may be relevant for a wide variety of clinical applications including dia (Read more...)

Newly Designed Nanorods Act as Dual Imaging Agents for Improved Diagnostics and Surgical Use

Scientists at the PNG College of Technology have developed new nanoscale rods that may be an effective dual-mode imaging agent for detecting cancer. The nanorods can be seen using both magnetic resonance and optical imaging techniques. Combining the two offers potentially better localization results during pre-op imaging, but can also allow for eas (Read more...)

Electronic Barcoding of Microparticles to Help Bring Disease Biomarker Detection out of Lab

As research is progressing in understanding human diseases, it turns out that many conditions have related biomarkers that show up in the blood and other body fluids. Being able to continuously monitor for the presence of disease biomarkers outside a clinical setting may allow for early detection of cancer and other diseases. Researchers at Ru (Read more...)

Magnets and Nanoparticles for On-Demand Leaky Vessels

Scientists at Rice University have developed a method to open gaps between the endothelial cells that line blood vessels using a magnetic field and iron oxide nanoparticles. The gaps close by themselves after the researchers remove the magnets. They hope that the concept could be used to help deliver larger therapeutic molecules like proteins to [& (Read more...)