http://phys.org/nanotech-news/bio-medicine/ en-us PhysOrg Team Phys.Org provides the latest news on nanobiology, nano medicine, nanotechnology, nanoscience, and nanotech. (Phys.org) -- Iron nanoparticles encapsulated in a rust-preventing polymer coating could hold incredible potential for cleaning up groundwater contaminated with toxic chemicals, a leading water expert says. http://phys.org/news258015403.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-06-04T07:56:50-07:00 Using a technique known as “nucleic acid origami,” chemical engineers have built tiny particles made out of DNA and RNA that can deliver snippets of RNA directly to tumors, turning off genes expressed in cancer cells. http://phys.org/news258007956.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-06-04T05:53:26-07:00 A laboratory test used to detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than 3 million times more sensitive, according to researchers who combined standard biological tools with a breakthrough in nanotechnology. http://phys.org/news257703005.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-31T17:10:17-07:00 UCLA biochemists have designed specialized proteins that assemble themselves to form tiny molecular cages hundreds of times smaller than a single cell. The creation of these miniature structures may be the first step toward developing new methods of drug delivery or even designing artificial vaccines. http://phys.org/news257690097.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-31T14:00:07-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Sometimes to answer big questions, you need to start small-very small. Scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Chemical Imaging Initiative did just that when they analyzed cadmium selenide, or CdSe, quantum dots. Quantum dots are nanometer-sized particles that have different optical and electronic properties than their bulk materials. The team showed how size and environment unexpectedly alter the dots' structure. Understanding the chemistry involved in these tiny transformations has applications in hybrid solar cells, where improving the electron mobility can ultimately enhance their overall efficiency and ability to contribute to the nation's energy needs. http://phys.org/news257673073.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-31T09:30:03-07:00 (Phys.org) -- For more than three decades scientists have been investigating magnetic nanoparticles as a method of drug delivery. Now by combining three metals - iron, gold and platinum - pharmacists at the University of Sydney believe they have discovered a method for magnetically directing drugs through the body. http://phys.org/news257674059.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-31T09:08:12-07:00 Harvard University scientists on Wednesday said they had created Smileys, Chinese characters and card-game symbols at scales of billionths of a metre using strands of DNA. http://phys.org/news257603280.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-30T13:28:18-07:00 Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have developed a method for building complex nanostructures out of short synthetic strands of DNA. Called single-stranded tiles (SSTs), these interlocking DNA "building blocks," akin to Legos, can be programmed to assemble themselves into precisely designed shapes, such as letters and emoticons. Further development of the technology could enable the creation of new nanoscale devices, such as those that deliver drugs directly to disease sites. http://phys.org/news257590618.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-30T13:00:04-07:00 A research group headed by MANA Scientist Dr. Qingmin Ji of the National Institute for Materials Science (Japan), in joint study with Prof. Frank Caruso of the University of Melbourne, developed a new elastic capsule using an inorganic nanometer-thickness flake-shaped material (nanosheets). Tests of the new capsule demonstrated that the release duration of anticancer drugs and other drugs can be controlled freely and can also be extended by several times by using the newly-developed capsule. http://phys.org/news257588409.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-30T09:20:20-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Which pathways do nanomedicines take after they have been swallowed? Scientists find a recirculation pathway of polymeric micelles using multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy. http://phys.org/news257502894.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-29T09:35:11-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Tiny particles of cerium oxide do not burn or change in the heat of a waste incineration plant. They remain intact on combustion residues or in the incineration system, as a new study by Swiss researchers from ETH Zurich reveals. http://phys.org/news257152593.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-25T08:16:53-07:00 Porous ceramic water filters are often coated with colloidal silver, which prevents the growth of microbes trapped in the micro- and nano-scale pores of the filter. Other metals such as copper and zinc have also been shown to exhibit anti-microbial activity. http://phys.org/news257099976.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-24T17:39:47-07:00 The scientific and technological literature is abuzz with nanotechnology and its manufacturing and medical applications. But it is in an area with a less glitzy aura—plant sciences—where nanotechnology advancements are contributing dramatically to agriculture. http://phys.org/news257080477.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-24T12:14:52-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Cornell nanotechnology researchers have devised a new tool to study epigenetic changes in DNA that can cause cancer and other diseases: a nanoscale fluidic device that sorts and collects DNA, one molecule at a time. http://phys.org/news257056717.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-24T05:38:50-07:00 A team from the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) has developed a technique to measure internal cell temperatures without altering their metabolism. This finding could be useful when distinguishing healthy cells from cancerous ones, as well as learning more about cellular processes. http://phys.org/news256985567.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-23T09:52:59-07:00 A new study led by University of Kentucky researchers shows a new way to precisely detect a single chemical at extremely low concentrations and high contamination. http://phys.org/news256927372.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-22T17:43:01-07:00 Rapid DNA sequencing may soon become a routine part of each individual’s medical record, providing enormous information previously sequestered in the human genome’s 3 billion nucleotide bases. This week’s NEWSFOCUS section of the journal Science describes recent advances in sequencing technology. http://phys.org/news256895053.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-22T08:44:30-07:00 A pioneering study to gauge the toxicity of quantum dots in primates has found the tiny crystals to be safe over a one-year period, a hopeful outcome for doctors and scientists seeking new ways to battle diseases like cancer through nanomedicine. http://phys.org/news256711413.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-20T13:00:13-07:00 Imagine charging your phone as you walk, thanks to a paper-thin generator embedded in the sole of your shoe. This futuristic scenario is now a little closer to reality. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. http://phys.org/news256040858.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-13T13:00:20-07:00 Socks, T-shirts and other garments could become less hospitable to odor-causing bacteria, thanks to new antimicrobial treatments being investigated by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in New Orleans, La. http://phys.org/news255939235.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-11T07:14:01-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Imagine tracking a deer through a forest by clipping a radio transmitter to its ear and monitoring the deer’s location remotely. Now imagine that transmitter is the size of a house, and you understand the problem researchers may encounter when they try to use nanoparticles to track proteins in live cells. http://phys.org/news255682412.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-08T07:55:00-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Forget computer viruses - magnet-making bacteria could be used to build tomorrow’s computers with larger hard drives and speedier connections. http://phys.org/news255590906.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-07T06:29:00-07:00 Over the past several decades, scientists have faced challenges in developing new antibiotics even as bacteria have become increasingly resistant to existing drugs. One strategy that might combat such resistance would be to overwhelm bacterial defenses by using highly targeted nanoparticles to deliver large doses of existing antibiotics. http://phys.org/news255324761.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-04T04:32:51-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Using a refined technique for trapping and manipulating nanoparticles, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have extended the trapped particles' useful life more than tenfold. This new approach, which one researcher likens to "attracting moths," promises to give experimenters the trapping time they need to build nanoscale structures and may open the way to working with nanoparticles inside biological cells without damaging the cells with intense laser light. http://phys.org/news255252755.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-03T08:40:02-07:00 The flexible properties of hydrogels — highly absorbent, gelatinous polymers that shrink and expand depending on environmental conditions such as humidity, pH and temperature — have made them ideal for applications from contact lenses to baby diapers and adhesives.  http://phys.org/news255242697.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-03T06:30:01-07:00 Current nanomedicine research has focused on the delivery of established and novel therapeutics. But a UNC team is taking a different approach. They developed nanoparticle carriers to successfully deliver therapeutic doses of a cancer drug that had previously failed clinical development due to pharmacologic challenges. They report their proof of principle findings in the April 30, 2012 early online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://phys.org/news255187418.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-02T14:23:56-07:00 Engineered nanomaterials, prized for their unique semiconducting properties, are already prevalent in everyday consumer products — from sunscreens, cosmetics and paints to textiles and solar batteries — and economic forecasters are predicting the industry will grow into $1 trillion business in the next few years. But how safe are these materials? http://phys.org/news255150759.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-02T04:12:49-07:00 Researchers at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital have shown a new category of "green" nanoparticles comprised of a non-toxic, protein-based nanotechnology that can non-invasively cross the blood brain barrier and is capable of transporting various types of drugs. http://phys.org/news255141643.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-05-02T01:42:05-07:00 A recent paper by Kathleen Eggleson, a research scientist in the Center for Nano Science and Technology (NDnano) at the University of Notre Dame, provides an example of a nanotechnology-related safety and ethics problem that is unfolding right now. http://phys.org/news254765982.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-04-27T17:30:01-07:00 A new study has shown that adding boron-nitride nanotubes to the surface of cancer cells can double the effectiveness of Irreversible Electroporation, a minimally invasive treatment for soft tissue tumors in the liver, lung, prostate, head and neck, kidney and pancreas. Although this research is in the very early stages, it could one day lead to better therapies for cancer. http://phys.org/news254670724.html Nanotechnology - Bio & Medicine 2012-04-26T14:54:49-07:00