An interesting blog article about the use of dendrimers in targetted drug delivery systems, sent me by Tom Burroughes in London.
University of Michigan scientists have created the nanotechnology equivalent of a Trojan horse to smuggle a powerful chemotherapeutic drug inside tumor cells – increasing the drug's cancer-killing activity and reducing its toxic side effects.
Previous studies in cell cultures have suggested that attaching anticancer drugs to nanoparticles for targeted delivery to tumor cells could increase the therapeutic response. Now, U-M scientists have shown that this nanotechnology-based treatment is effective in living animals.
This type of news carries a special type of urgency for me, as I've recently been informed that my good friend Chris Tame, in London, has been diagnosed with epithelioid angiosarcoma of the bones (spine & hip so far.) His oncologists are working hard to find the primary source of the cancer. In the meantime, any new developments in the effectiveness of chemotherapy with short & medium term time horizons are of great personal interest to me and my friends.
Dendrimers to improve chemotherapeutic delivery
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Howdy,
Abraxane (human serum albumin nanoparticle paclitaxel)is in the first wave.
I always liked the concept of nanotechnology because it made me think of tiny laser weilding robots and not a fine powder. Come to think of it, when I started doing reproductive biology research I imagined that I would be hanging out with Hef and Barbi Benton part of the time.