Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Nanoparticles boost cancer treatment

U.S. researchers say combining nanoparticles with a scorpion venom compound can cut the spread of cancerous brain tumor cells by 98 percent.

The University of Washington said the nanoparticles more than double the effectiveness of chlorotoxin, a small peptide isolated from scorpion venom.

"People talk about the treatment being more effective with nanoparticles but they don't know how much, maybe 5 percent or 10 percent," Miqin Zhang, professor of materials science and engineering, said Friday in a release. "This was quite a surprise to us."

Researchers said adding nanoparticles can improve a therapy by increasing the length of time the combination lasts in the body. Nanoparticles also boost effectiveness of treatment compounds because therapeutic molecules tend to clump around each nanoparticle, the report said.

Nanoparticles guide genes through the bloodstream

Scientists from University of Bonn in Germany have designed a technique that allows them to repair damaged arteries’ tissue. The technique is based on sending genes and healthy cells through the bloodstream to the place that needs to be repaired.


Earlier, the “problem” was that it was unknown what quantity of healthy cells to send in order to repair the tissue. Small magnetic nanoparticles which are situated on the planted gene or on the planted cell can with the aid of an external magnetic field be specifically directed to the location of the damage.

German researchers have discovered that the gene-based transfer is way more successful than non-gene-based one. Magnetic nanoparticles can support or even enable gene transfer under clinically relevant experimental conditions.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

What is nanomedicine

Nanomedicine is a subfield of nanotechnology. It is often defined as the repair, construction and control of human biological systems using devices built upon nanotechnology standards. Basically, nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. Nanostructured materials, engineered enzymes and many other products of biotechnology will be very useful in the future. Of course, the full potential of nanomedicine is unlikely to arrive until after complex, high-sofisticated, medically programmable nanomachines and nanorobots are developed. When that happens, every medical doctor’s dream will become reality. Having robots fabricated to nanometer precision (1 nanometer = 1 bilionth of a meter) will allow medical doctors to approach the human body at the cellular and molecular levels. Interventions such as repairing damaged tissues (bone, muscle, nerve) will be possible.

We all know that the mankind is still fighting against many complex illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, diabetes as well as some inflammatory or infectious diseases (i.e. HIV). Nanotechnology raises hopes and expectations for millions of patients that suffer from those diseases. For example, it is expected that doctors will be able to destroy the very first cancer cells and so stop the disease from growing.

Nanomedicine is a huge industry. Sales reached 6.8 billion dollars in 2004. Significant amounts of money are being invested in research – USA and European Union are investing billions of dollars and plan to invest more in the future.

NIH established eight nanomedicine development centers which are staffed by multidisciplinary research teams including biologists, physicians, mathematicians, engineers and computer scientists. The intial phase of their program is directed towards gathering extensive information about the properties of nanoscale biological elements. This is very important and will help scientists to correct defects in unhealthy cells. The second phase has been approved recently and is directed towards applying the knowledge from the first phase in treating diseases.

European Technology Platform is a platforum formed by 53 European stakeholders. Their first task the group had was to write a vision document on nanotechnology in which experts describe the extrapolation of needs until 2020.

There are three key priorities in the future: nanotechnology-based diagnostics and imaging, targeted drug delivery and release and regenerative medicine.

According to the journal „Nature Materials“, there are over 130 nanotech-based drugs and delivery systems developed worldwide. Nanomedicine industry is expected continue to grow and have a significant impact on the economy.

Colon cancer warning signs

A lot of patients suffering from colon cancer might well present no symptoms or signs during the earliest stages of the condition. When symptoms do eventually present, they can be many and varied, and can very much depend upon the size of the affliction, how far it has spread and also its actual location. It might be that some symptoms that present are as a result of a condition other than cancer itself, ranging from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and occasionally diverticulosis. Also, such problems as abdominal pain or swelling can be symptomatic of colon problems and may well require further investigation.

You may also notice that, upon going to the lavatory, you have some blood in your stools, and this can be a symptom of cancer. It can, however, also be indicative of other conditions and problems. For example, the kind of bright red blood that you may see on your toilet tissue could be as a result of hemorrhoids or anal fissures. It should also be remembered that various food items can also result in red-colored stools, and these include beetroot and red liquorice. Some medications can also be culprits, and some can also turn the stools black-including iron supplements. Irrespective, any sign of blood or change in your stools should prompt you to seek advice from your GP, as it is always best to be sure that it is not a sign of a more serious condition, and with any cancer,early detection and treatment is essential to a successful recovery.

You should also note-if you are currently concerned-any change in the regularity of your stools-including whether or not they are more thin or irregular than usual-especially over a period of several weeks. Also, be mindful if you have diarrhea for several days in a row or, conversely, constipation.

You might also experience pain in your lower abdomen-including a feeling of hardness. You may also experience persistent pain or discomfort in your abdominal region, and this can include wind and cramps. You may also get the sensation that, when evacuating your bowels, that the bowel doesn’t empty fully. Also, if you have an iron deficiency (or anemia), it may be an indication that there is bleeding in your colon. Also, as in most cases and types of cancer, you should seek medical advice immediately if you experience any sudden and unexpected or unexplained weight loss, as this is one of the principal red flags. Also be aware of more vague, seemingly incidental symptoms, such as fatigue. IF you have a couple of symptoms and also feel fatigued for days in a row inexplicably, then this is also another warning sign and you should seek medical advice. It is important not to panic, but just to be aware of what might be going on.

Remember, cases of colon cancer account for around 90% of all cases of intestinal cancers, and also account for more deaths every year of men and women from cancer. Early treatment is an absolute must.

Colon cancer warning signs

A lot of patients suffering from colon cancer might well present no symptoms or signs during the earliest stages of the condition. When symptoms do eventually present, they can be many and varied, and can very much depend upon the size of the affliction, how far it has spread and also its actual location. It might be that some symptoms that present are as a result of a condition other than cancer itself, ranging from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and occasionally diverticulosis. Also, such problems as abdominal pain or swelling can be symptomatic of colon problems and may well require further investigation.

You may also notice that, upon going to the lavatory, you have some blood in your stools, and this can be a symptom of cancer. It can, however, also be indicative of other conditions and problems. For example, the kind of bright red blood that you may see on your toilet tissue could be as a result of hemorrhoids or anal fissures. It should also be remembered that various food items can also result in red-colored stools, and these include beetroot and red liquorice. Some medications can also be culprits, and some can also turn the stools black-including iron supplements. Irrespective, any sign of blood or change in your stools should prompt you to seek advice from your GP, as it is always best to be sure that it is not a sign of a more serious condition, and with any cancer,early detection and treatment is essential to a successful recovery.

You should also note-if you are currently concerned-any change in the regularity of your stools-including whether or not they are more thin or irregular than usual-especially over a period of several weeks. Also, be mindful if you have diarrhea for several days in a row or, conversely, constipation.

You might also experience pain in your lower abdomen-including a feeling of hardness. You may also experience persistent pain or discomfort in your abdominal region, and this can include wind and cramps. You may also get the sensation that, when evacuating your bowels, that the bowel doesn’t empty fully. Also, if you have an iron deficiency (or anemia), it may be an indication that there is bleeding in your colon. Also, as in most cases and types of cancer, you should seek medical advice immediately if you experience any sudden and unexpected or unexplained weight loss, as this is one of the principal red flags. Also be aware of more vague, seemingly incidental symptoms, such as fatigue. IF you have a couple of symptoms and also feel fatigued for days in a row inexplicably, then this is also another warning sign and you should seek medical advice. It is important not to panic, but just to be aware of what might be going on.

Remember, cases of colon cancer account for around 90% of all cases of intestinal cancers, and also account for more deaths every year of men and women from cancer. Early treatment is an absolute must.