SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ - Monday, March 29, 2010

NEWSWORTHY

Evidence from siRNA clinical trials
Researchers from the California Institute of Technology demonstrated that when injected into a patient’ s bloodstream, nanoparticles can deliver double stranded small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and switch off a cancer gene. They also showed that nanoparticle absorption into the cancer cells is high i.e., as the number of nanoparticles injected increased, the level of absorption into the cancer cell increased as well. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and Nature Nano.

Nanofluidic device for DNA analysis
Researchers from Cornell University have pioneered a method to analyze the binding of DNAs and histones (DNA-binding proteins) at specific locations. The individual DNAs are made to pass through nanofluidic channels to reach detectors that evaluate the fluorescence of DNA and its associated proteins. They also found they could take a DNA separated from its protein and attach a fluorescent molecule to it; enabling them to locate the exact locations of DNA methylation. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and Analytical Chemistry.

RFID tags and nanotubes
Rice University researchers developed RFID tags (radio frequency identification) that could replace bar codes, making it possible to scan a cart full of groceries in one pass. The ink to make these thin film transistors used in tags consists of carbon nanotubes. The tags can be printed on paper or plastic. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, Nanowerk, and the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

Nano-cooperation for cancer destruction
Researchers from Burnham Institute for Medical Research at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have created a method to destroy cancer cells through a procedure involving two nanoparticles. One of them, a polymer-coated gold nanorod, was used to heat up the tumor cell it entered when exposed to the near infrared radiation. When the temperature in the cell reached 45°C, the other nanoparticle made of a thermally responsive lipid mixture, would release the drug load. The nanoparticles were found to work better together than individually. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and Advanced Materials.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Atomic layer deposition for nanomaterials
Researchers from the North Carolina State University used a method called atomic layer deposition to coat nanomaterials to make them biologically functionable. The coated nanoporous membranes could be used as antibacterial/antimicrobial materials and could be used in water purification devices to eliminate harmful pathogens. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and the Philosophical transactions of the royal society.

Levitation for 3D cells
Scientists from Houston's Texas Medical Center developed a method to build three dimensional cell cultures. They found a way to levitate cells allowing them to divide and grow using a “phage” combination of gold nanoparticles and viral particles. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire and Nanowerk.

Nanodiamonds and neurons
Researchers from the London Centre for Nanotechnology and UCL’s Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology found that neurons could be developed through nanodiamonds in the absence of proteins. They placed mouse hippocampel neurons in a cell culture solution containing nanodiamonds for 12 days and observed the formation of a fully built neural network with “synaptic connectivity.” This research could aid in designing bioelectric devices. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and Biomaterials.

Nanotube map for neurons
Researchers from the Tel Aviv University developed a possible method to connect retinal nerves and electrodes that resulted in cell growth. They used carbon nanotubes and through electric current made neurons from the (rat’s) brain grow on them. See AtoZ Nano and Nanowerk.