Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of death, also because the efficiency of chemotherapeutics is inadequate due to poor delivery to the tumor. NIM scientist Prof Olivia Merkel and her team develop targeted nanocarrier systems to increase the delivery rates of therapeutic formulations and their specific uptake into the target cells. In the [...]
Cancer is a disease often driven by mutations in genes. As researchers learn more about these genes, and the proteins they code for, they are seeking smarter drugs to target them. The ultimate goal is to find ways to stop cancer cells from multiplying out of control, thereby blocking the growth and spread of [...]
The University of Warwick and QuantIC researchers at Heriot Watt University and the University of Glasgow performed a study in optical sensing, which could considerably enhance the precision of measuring nanoscopic structures. QuantIC is part of the UK National Quantum Technologies Program and is the UK Quantum Technology Hub in Quantum Enhanced Imaging. The [...]
Researchers from the University of Toronto have created a shoebox-sized laboratory that can do blood testing in remote, low-resource settings, quickly determining from a drop of blood whether a person has antibodies to specific infectious diseases. The device, which they called the MR Box—short for measles and rubella, the first diseases for which they [...]
Many startups in the nanotechnology/ nanomedicine fields are taking the ICO route over the traditional venture capital path because of the low barriers to entry. The explosion of ICOs in the last year is numerically staggering and they are being seen by many as a panacea. Every day now [...]
From an article by Bernard Marr, Contributor at Forbes.com: It's quickly becoming apparent that blockchain technology is about far more than just Bitcoin. Across finance, healthcare, media, government and other sectors, innovative uses are appearing every day. Here is a list of 35 which I have come across. While some may fail to live up [...]
Calcium ions are ubiquitous signalling molecules in all multicellular organisms, where they mediate diverse aspects of intracellular and extracellular communication over widely varying temporal and spatial scales. Though techniques to map calcium-related activity at a high resolution by optical means are well established, there is currently no reliable method to measure calcium dynamics over [...]
The Nano4 project takes fast, reliable and low-cost molecular point of care (POC) diagnostic tools down to the nano-scale, offering better healthcare outcomes for patients. Medics working in migratory hotspots, in countries with low laboratory infrastructure or in other demanding situations often need to be able to screen large populations quickly, in a non-centralised [...]
Most tumors contain regions of low oxygen concentration where cancer therapies based on the action of reactive oxygen species are ineffective. Now, American scientists have developed a hybrid nanomaterial that releases a free-radical-generating prodrug inside tumor cells upon thermal activation. As they report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the free radicals destroy the cell [...]
According to Plato and Aristotle, philosophy begins in wonder. You start to question the shape of the clouds or why the ants are working in hives, the next thing you know you already contemplate about geography or social psychology. Examining the “natural” order of things helps us explain the world, see our environment in [...]
