Better diagnosis and treatment of cancer could hinge on the ability to rapidly map out networks of dozens of molecules in individual tumor cells. New research from the University of Washington offers a more comprehensive way of analyzing a single cell's unique behavior and could reveal patterns that indicate why a cell will or will not become malignant.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Researchers have shown that they can use a gold nanoparticle tumor necrosis factor-alpha system to enhance the effects of either thermal therapy or cryosurgery. Moreover, they demonstrated that they can use standard magnetic resonance imaging technology to visualize tumor destruction.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Activating the body's immune system to attack cancer and prevent it from recurring is one of the Holy Grails of cancer research because of its ability to specifically target cancer and to search almost anywhere in the body for rogue tumors. While the field has made some progress, and immune therapy for malignant melanoma and prostate cancer is proving its value in the treatment of human disease, it appears that no one general approach is going to work in all types of cancer. Two recent papers show how nanoparticles could become important tools for stimulating the immune system to respond to cancer.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Investigators at the University of Florida have developed what they are calling a 'DNA nanotrain' that fast-tracks its payload of cancer-fighting drugs and bioimaging agents to tumor cells deep within the body. These nanotrains have the potential to cost-effectively deliver high doses of drugs to precisely targeted cancers using biocompatible materials that fall apart into non-toxic components once their payload is delivered.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Herceptin and camptothecin are both powerful anticancer agents with key characteristics that limit their effectiveness in treating cancer. Patients treated with Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody that targets a growth promoting factor common to breast cancers, often relapse as their tumors become resistant to the drug. Overcoming camptotheci's toxicity and low solubility represent major therapeutic challenges. Now, researchers have used nanotechnology to combine the two into what so far appears to be a highly effective drug for treating aggressive breast cancer.
Jul 12th, 2013
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While research tends to become very specialized and entire communities of scientists can work on specific topics with only a little overlap between them, physicist Dr Nicolas Brunner and mathematician Professor Noah Linden worked together to uncover a deep and unexpected connection between their two fields of expertise: game theory and quantum physics.
Jul 12th, 2013
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University of Melbourne researchers have developed an efficient system to coat tiny objects, such as bacterial cells, with thin films that assemble themselves which could have important implications for drug delivery as well as biomedical and environmental applications.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Researchers have demonstrated for the first time incredibly short optical response rates using graphene, which could pave the way for a revolution in telecommunications.
Jul 12th, 2013
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A subcontract from Clarkson Aerospace, through the U.S. Air Force - Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate is helping boost minorities in nanotechnology, analysis and intelligence fields through the University of Dayton School of Engineering Nanotechnology-Focused Minority Analyst Project.
Jul 12th, 2013
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The objective of this study was to assess the cytotoxic potential of graphene nanoplatelets with different surface chemistry towards a human hepatoma cell line, Hep G2, and identify the underlying toxicity targets.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Groundbreaking new electron microscopy technology developed at the York Nanocentre is allowing researchers to observe and analyse single atoms, small clusters and nanoparticles in dynamic in-situ experiments for the first time.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Decade-old controversy over structure of nuclear pore solved, thanks to new method in which EMBL scientists combine thousands of super-resolution microscopy images to reach a precision below one nanometer.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Researchers have shown how a phenomenon called superlubricity, long thought to be of purely academic interest, can enable microscopic devices to move at speeds of up to 90km/h, as fast as cars on a highway.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Electrically responsive polymers help make miniature systems for biomedical analysis even more compact.
Jul 12th, 2013
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Combining experiment and theory, Cornell researchers have moved a step closer to making graphene a useful, controllable material. They showed that when grown in stacked layers, graphene produces some specific defects that influence its conductivity.
Jul 11th, 2013
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The response of bacteria to antibiotics can be quickly assessed by monitoring the fluctuations of cantilevers coated with the bacteria.
Jul 11th, 2013
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