One of the biggest promises of nanomedicine is that doctors will be able to deliver needed medications directly to a site within your body without negatively affecting other tissues. That’s still a moving target, though. One of the most challenging obstacles is the density and opaqueness of human tissue such as blood vessel walls and organs. A … Continue reading Making organs clear to track nanoparticle meds
It started out in test tubes. Scientists introduced engineered 50?nm spherical silica nanoparticles into an artificial environment with a view to seeing whether they might help osteoblasts differentiate and promote bone building while also suppressing the re-absorption of osteoclasts. It worked well. Next they found that could get the nanoparticles to help build bone in young … Continue reading Promising: Nanoparticles reverse bone loss in mice
Asbestos was hailed, even many centuries ago, as a material that could be used to create “miraculous” solutions to multiple problems – it was fireproof, it was flexible, it had tremendous insulating properties, it was easy to manipulate, etc. But it had a powerful, long-unacknowledged dark side. It gradually disabled and then killed people who … Continue reading Nanoparticle exposure linked to heart problems
The first item is about nitric oxide (NO) used in testing, and the rest are all about using nanoparticles for delivering things into the human body, including NO. It’s astounding that scientists have found nanotechnology so helpful in these kinds of applications. I just hope more research is done on how safe it is to … Continue reading 5 news bits – nitric oxide and nanoparticles
Blood clots can wreck quality of life and even kill by causing a stroke or a heart attack. But up ’til now doctors have been unable to predict when a clot might develop in a particular patient. Now nanotechnology is making possible a way to read signals in your urine that your body may be … Continue reading Nanoparticles to help detect stroke-heart attack risk
Wouldn’t it be nice if doctors didn’t have to use invasive tests such as heart catheterization to tell if any of your arteries are clogged? Heart caths are not fun – and they carry their own set of risks. I’m happy to say they’re working on it. Just saw this report on an NIH-funded study … Continue reading Nanoparticles in contrast agent “see” blood vessels better
I’ve been worrying about potential danger from these guys ever since I first heard about them. Now comes some research indicating strongly that nanoparticles/nanofibers could be deadly to humans who are exposed to them. This particular research shows that it may be the length of the fibers that’s critical to whether they might eventually induce disease. … Continue reading Danger from nanoparticles may depend on length of fibers
It’s not good news, but it’s also not unexpected. Recent experiments with adding engineered nanoparticles to plants’ diets determined that the plants started gradually shriveling up and dying. Specifically, the plants being experimented with were radishes and two ryegrass ground covers that grazing animals commonly eat. Researchers at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) … Continue reading Nanoparticles can damage plant DNA
When radioactive fallout was found to have contaminated some of Japan’s local food and drink after the 2011 tsunami battered a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, it inspired some scientists to look for ways to purify liquids. One researcher diverted his work on nanoparticles originally designed to “mine uranium from seawater or to decontaminate waterways.” … Continue reading Nanoparticles can attract contaminants–and purify radioactive milk?
Reports are all over the Internet about a recent study using nanoparticles as additions to vaccines that target lymph nodes. The study has found that, at least in mice, these nano-loaded treatments can boost antibody- and immune responses against lethal infections. The Duke University team that did the study says their loaded nanoparticles closely mimic … Continue reading Mouse studies say nanoparticle-delivered drugs can be targeted
