Nanoparticles programmed to dispatch drugs to specific parts of the body could make surgery a thing of the past
Imagine swallowing a pill of tiny molecular robots that can hone in on any injured part of your body and perform repairs. In 1959, the Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman predicted that we would one day be able to “swallow the doctor” to heal ailments from inside our bodies.
Today, nanotechnology is bringing the dream of that pill closer to reality. Medicines are being developed to be just like the small seeds of the burr plant, covered in tiny hooks that cling onto your socks as you walk through the grass. Submicroscopic nanoparticles are designed to bind tightly to specific targets within the body and release drugs slowly and steadily.
“If you put 1,000 nanoparticles side by side they are about the width of a human hair,” says Dr Juliana Chan, adjunct assistant professor at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
Hong Kong University Professor So Kwok-fai specialises in neuroscience and has developed a nanoparticle in collaboration with MIT to support regeneration after nerve damage. Explaining why this treatment is needed, So says: “The central nervous system is unable to repair itself because the nerve microenvironment does not support neuron regeneration.”
The nanoparticle is made by linking amino acids, the building blocks of protein. When the nanoparticles come in contact with blood, they self-assemble into a nanofibre scaffold. This scaffold can bridge gaps in damaged tissue and provide a framework for nerve regeneration. For example, So has tested his formulation on laboratory animals to repair optic nerveS, resulting in functional vision.
An unexpected finding was that the nanoparticles were able to stop bleeding, a major problem during neurosurgery. During a surgical experiment, So’s team was surprised to find that the laboratory animal did not bleed after the nanoparticle solution was applied. They realised that the nanoparticles were an effective means to stop bleeding, which leads to faster recovery after surgery. “An analogy would be like beavers building a dam with wood instantaneously so the flow of water can be stopped right away,” says So.
With the discovery of a way to stop bleeding almost instantly during neurosurgery, this important risk can be better managed. He says: “Normally it would take more than 90 seconds for platelets to amass at the site of the wound, form a blood clot and stop the bleeding. But the application of the nanomaterial was able to stop the bleeding within 15 seconds.”
Dr Kenneth Wong, clinical assistant professor at HKU’s Department of Surgery, studies the use of nanoparticles made from silver. His research focuses on applying silver nanoparticles to skin burns, surgical wounds and even bone fractures to help repair and regeneration. Wong’s team has shown that silver nanoparticles can stimulate skin cells to grow and divide more rapidly to close a wound, as well as push underlying cells to help contract the wound. Silver nanoparticles are now incorporated into wound dressings for treatment.
Over in Singapore, NTU’s Chan first started working on “nanoburrs” in Professor Robert Langer‘s laboratory at the Massachusetts’s Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, where she developed nanoparticles to deliver drugs to injured blood vessels. Nanoburrs are nanoparticles coated with a sticky protein that makes them cling onto artery walls while they slowly release drugs.
To treat atherosclerosis, which is caused by accumulation of fat within blood vessels that serve the heart, doctors may perform surgery and use a microscopic balloon to open up the narrowed blood vessels. However, this treatment could damage the artery walls and when the body repairs the damage, the blood vessels become narrow again. To prevent this, drugs are applied to limit the growth of scar tissue within the blood vessel.
Just 60 nanometres (or 60 billionths of a metre) wide, the MIT nanoparticles can carry a drug load and bind only to damaged parts of the blood vessels around the heart. They are made from materials that are compatible with the body and can be broken down harmlessly when finished.
Nanoburrs are layered like an onion. The outer coating protects the internal layers as the particle travels through the blood and is made from a material less easily detected by the body’s immune system. This outer coating also comprises protein “hooks”, like the outer covering of burr seeds, which can bind to specific targets in the body. The middle layer is a fatty material while the inner core contains the drug. Once bound, the nanoparticles release the drug gradually over a long period of time. This can be over days and weeks, which is much longer than when we take regular medication.
Chan believes that nanoparticles are making more drugs available.
“Nanoparticles have revolutionised the delivery of drugs. Drugs with poor profiles that were routinely discarded, for being too hydrophobic [water-repellent] for example, and previously had poor bioavailability can now be encapsulated in nanoparticles to improve their solubility and pharmacokinetic profiles.”
Researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US are also using nanoparticles to tackle inflammations. Inflammation is caused by large numbers of white blood cells infiltrating a site in the body. Prolonged excessive inflammation causes diseases such as atherosclerosis, arthritis and type 2 diabetes.
Nanoparticles carrying anti-inflammatory drugs and designed to attach to inflamed tissues are effective in delivering treatment to where it is needed. Because the nanoparticles release their anti-inflammatory cargo slowly over time and in a sustained manner, this form of treatment can be used to bring inflammation under control.
The Latest Bing News on:
Nanomedicine
- MIT Technology Reviewon April 23, 2024 at 2:00 pm
MIT athletics” when their daughter Lauren ’17 captained the women’s soccer team. So they made a gift that will name the weight room in MIT’s updated Sports Performance Center and funded a matching ...
- Novel Drug Made of Gold Nanocrystals Appears Safe in Multiple Sclerosison April 22, 2024 at 10:22 am
DENVER -- An oral suspension of clean-surfaced gold nanocrystals known as CNM-Au8 was safe and well-tolerated in patients with stable relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic optic ...
- Nanomedicine for Rare Diseaseson April 15, 2024 at 1:42 am
The development of nanomedicine began in the early 1990s as a promising technique with many therapeutical benefits, with applications in areas such as neurodegenerative and infectious diseases, as ...
- Raman Spectroscopy in Nanomedicineon April 10, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Raman spectroscopy is a branch of vibration spectroscopy that is capable of probing the chemical composition of materials. Recent advances in Raman microscopy have significantly added to the range ...
- Raman Spectroscopy in Nanomedicineon April 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Nanomedicine. 2013;8(8):1335-1351. Spontaneous Raman spectroscopy has, therefore, already been demonstrated to be a chemically specific method for investigating nanoparticle interactions and to ...
- Nanomedicine Market Size Expected to Reach USD 562.93 Bn by 2032on April 3, 2024 at 8:00 am
Ottawa, April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global nanomedicine market size was valued at USD 219.34 billion in 2023 and is predicted to hit around USD 494.62 billion by 2031, a study published ...
- Nanomedicine advancement shows potential for personalized point-of-care therapeuticson February 6, 2024 at 9:21 am
"We encapsulated this molecule into our nanomedicine formulations and showed that it actually stops those prostate cancer cells from growing." Based on this example, the team's research has ...
- Nanomedicine News and Researchon January 17, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, in collaboration with the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe and the University of Zaragoza proposes a novel approach to slow neuromuscular degeneration in ...
- MSc Nanomedicine by Researchon March 2, 2022 at 7:00 am
We reserve the right to close applications if the course is full. Understand the role of nanomedicine within healthcare innovation, particularly focussing on the delivery of therapeutics (including ...
- The emerging nanomedicine landscapeon September 13, 2020 at 6:20 am
A global survey of companies pursuing 'nanomedicine' indicates that nanotechnology is taking root in the drug and medical device industry. This article presents data from the above study showing ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Nanomedicine
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Nanomedicine” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
[/vc_column_text]
The Latest Bing News on:
Nanoparticles
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals gets grant for novel cationic lipids for lipid nanoparticles with oligonucleotideson April 24, 2024 at 6:12 am
Discover how Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' patented cationic lipids revolutionize siRNA delivery, reducing liver toxicity and enhancing efficacy. Explore the unique compound formula and structural ...
- New Alzheimer’s Treatment Uses Light & X-Rays To Hit Harmful Proteinon April 24, 2024 at 1:35 am
A new treatment for early-stage Alzheimer’s uses nanoparticles and light to slow the progress of the disease, set off by a low-powered x-ray.
- Study could offer solution for reawakening responses from the immune systemon April 23, 2024 at 5:56 pm
Robert Clarke, PhD, executive director and professor, and Lu Jin, MS, researcher at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, have co-authored a paper recently published in the journal ACS Nano.
- Moderna Investors Should Beware Patent-Dispute Fallouton April 23, 2024 at 11:40 am
Moderna's stock soared on positive cancer vaccine trial results, but legal troubles loom as a patent dispute threatens massive damages. Read my analysis here.
- Breakthrough rice bran nanoparticles show promise as affordable and targeted anticancer agenton April 23, 2024 at 10:45 am
Plant-derived nanoparticles have demonstrated significant anticancer effects. Researchers recently developed rice bran-derived nanoparticles (rbNPs) that efficiently suppressed cell proliferation and ...
- Researchers find rice bran nanoparticles safe, effective for cancer treatmenton April 22, 2024 at 4:59 pm
In advanced stages of cancer, tissue loss from treatments can be substantial and even fatal. Cutting-edge cancer therapies that employ nanoparticles can specifically target cancer cells, sparing ...
- Nanoparticles Deliver Drugs Directly Across the Blood-Brain Barrieron April 22, 2024 at 9:02 am
Recent studies published in Nature Communications by an international team of scientists from Michigan State University showed that nanoparticles can traverse the digestive system and deliver ...
- Researchers set new standards for nanoparticles, helping patients with MS, ALS, Parkinson's diseaseon April 19, 2024 at 9:31 am
Is it possible for nanoparticles to go through the digestive system and deliver medicine directly to the brain tissue? Researchers from Michigan State University say yes, and their latest findings are ...
- Metal Nanoparticles Market Size, Latest Trends, Share, Key Players, Revenue, Opportunity, and Forecast to 2024 to 2032on April 16, 2024 at 5:58 pm
Report Ocean recently published a research report titled “Metal Nanoparticles Market” 2024 Forecast to 2032 Analysis by Market Trends.” This study delivers accurate economic projections, worldwide ...
- Scientists solved the 70-year-old mystery of an insect's invisibility coat that can manipulate lighton April 15, 2024 at 10:13 am
A team of researchers created the world's first synthetic brochosomes in a huge step towards invisibility cloaking technology.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Nanoparticles
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Nanoparticles” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]