Nanotechnology Boosts the Effectiveness of Drug Treatments
AZoNano.com (11/06/08)

Chemists at the University of Liverpool, working with IOTA NanoSolutions, developed technology able to produce nanoparticles of insoluble drugs that have the behavior and effectiveness of the more effective dissolved drugs. Recent data shows that some low doses of insoluble drugs in nanoparticle form can be more active than was previously believed. This allows for the possibility of administering drugs in lower dosages without lowering the effectiveness, and reducing the risk of bacterial resistance. This technology is being used in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to develop antiparasitic drugs for malaria.
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Cheaper Than Chips
Chemistry World (11/08) Crombie, Janet

A group of French researchers, led by Eric Defrancq of Joseph Fourier University, have developed a way to pattern biomolecules inside glass capillary tubes, possibly leading to "lab-on-capillary" device as a less expensive alternative to lab-on-a-chip devices. The team was able to utilize the closed capillary tube environment by grafting patterns of aminooxy groups masked with photo-cleavable protecting groups to the inside capillary surface. Exposed aminooxy groups reacted with aldehyde groups in peptide and carbohydrate biomolecules, attaching them to the sides of the tubes. With this method, the team was able to position many biomolecules, rather than just one. After positioning, the biomolecules can then bind cell proteins or antibodies in biological fluids flushed through the tube, allowing the biomarkers to be used in identifying disease risk or progression, or treatment effectiveness. Defrancq said the next challenge is to maintain the recognition properties of the immobilized biomolecule while attaching more complex carbohydrates and proteins.
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Scientists Create Tiny Backpacks for Cells
PhysOrg.com (11/05/08) Trafton, Anne

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed miniscule "backpacks" that enable cells to perform several tasks. These include delivering chemotherapy agents, diagnosing tumors, and enabling tissue engineering. An online report on the polymer backpacks was published Nov. 5 in Nano Letters. Researchers can use the backpacks to manipulate the movements of cells using magnetic fields. Each backpack, or patch, covers only a small part of the cell surface and does not impair the cell's functioning, says Robert Cohen, a report author and MIT St. Laurent Professor of Chemical Engineering. The polymer patch system comprises three layers, where the bottom layer anchors the polymer to the surface, the middle layer carries the cargo, and the top layer binds to cells. The researchers worked with B and T cells, which are two kinds of immune cells that can travel to various tissues in the body. The backpacks might eventually be used to carry chemotherapy agents to tumor cells or to bind imaging agents to protein makers to identify tumors. The patches could also be used to arrange cells in certain patterns to eliminate the need for a tissue scaffold, scientists say.
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Nanoparticle Cosmetic Creams Safety Warning
London Telegraph (11/05/08) Leach, Ben

A U.K. consumer group called Which? wants to prohibit the use of nanoparticles until they are proven safe. Research conducted by the group indicates that 87 percent of consumers do not know that nanotechnology is used. Just eight out of 67 cosmetics companies were willing to disclose information to Which? about how they use nanotechnology or nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are used by cosmetics manufacturers like Avon, Nivea, The Body Shop, and Unilever, especially for ultraviolet ray filters in sunscreens. Nanoparticles are 80 times thinner than a human hair, and some critics say their small size might let them to pass through barriers that protect the brain. Their small size might also alter how they interact with other cells, leading to unexpected effects. Which? found that cosmetics companies use such materials as carbon fullerenes, nano silver, nano titanium dioxide, and nano zinc oxide in their products.
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U. Experts Developing Health Scanner
Deseret Morning News (UT) (11/03/08) Thalman, James

Chemists at the University of Utah have developed a prototype scanner that can test for a variety of diseases with a magnetic card containing microscopic samples of blood, saliva, or urine. The researchers, led by Marc Porter, professor of chemistry, chemical engineering, and bioengineering, used giant magnetoresistance to develop the scanning device, which was able to detect as few as 800 magnetic beads with microscopic dimensions. This technology allows for the advance of "point-of-care" testing, providing immediate patient information and rapid diagnostic testing, which would eliminate large amounts of paperwork being processed by eight out of 10 health care workers. The sensor could reduce the cost and time associated with off-site laboratory testing, but routine use for humans remains at least five years away. The study was published in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Analytical Chemistry.
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Magnetism and Nanocrystals Promise Denser Storage, New Devices
Semiconductor International (10/08) Braun, Alexander E.

A new class of nanomaterials is under development by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), who are observing the nanoscopic properties of complex materials to gain insights that could lead to new device applications in spin valves, MRAM, or photovoltaics. "If we can start to unravel interactions within complex materials, we'll be able to better engineer devices from materials that are based on complexity," says Zac Ward with ORNL's Materials Science and Technology Division. The ORNL researchers have hit upon a technique to see and possibly even predict the effects of nanoscale changes on the properties of complex materials, and the current work's area of concentration is certain colossal magnetoresistance single-crystal materials that experience vast changes in resistance under an applied magnetic field. The researchers have demonstrated that spatial confinement of a phase-separated material facilitates the harnessing of not only the properties of the metallic regions in a structure but also those of the coexisting insulating regions, and the general electronic traits of these devices can be enormously distinct from a bulk or thin-film device of the same material. A material whose resistance changes by orders of magnitude with the application of a magnetic field could have significant large-scale storage and device ramifications once it is better understood. Ward says one of his objectives is to continue scaling down device sizes enough to exploit nearly any phase-separated material, irrespective of domain size.
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Detecting Dirty Bomb Material With ESA Gamma-Ray Technology
European Space Agency (10/30/08)

The European Space Agency's (ESA) International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (Integral) is using technology it developed to detect gamma radiation to create a device that detects and identifies radioactive material used in dirty bombs as part of a contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. Integral and ESA are working on a Human Portable Radiation Detection System equipped with space radiation detection hardware and signal processing software for use by emergency services, border patrol agents, Customs and Coast Guard officers, and other law enforcement staff. The location of incoming radiation can be ascertained by the detectors, which can also reliably distinguish between normally occurring radioactive material and potential threats.
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Dire Warning for U.S.: Infectious Diseases Pose Serious Threat
Orlando Sentinel (FL) (10/30/08) Shelton, Robyn

Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit organization, released on Wednesday a 40-page report which said there is a worldwide resurgence of infectious diseases, and the United States is dangerously unprepared. Tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria are among the biggest threats. The report also noted the need for new vaccines and rapid diagnostic tests, so outbreaks can be identified and confined quickly. New antibiotics and antiviral drugs must be developed, and doctors should improve their methods of tracking initial symptoms for all kinds of infectious diseases. Trust for America recommends creating a "national game plan" to bring together government, private, industry, and community groups to prevent and treat infectious diseases as well as increasing research efforts toward diagnosis and treatment. The United States should also begin stockpiling antibiotics and vaccines and develop a plan for distributing them in an emergency, the report said.
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Radiation Detectors' Value Is Questioned
Washington Post (10/30/08) P. A15 ; O'Harrow Jr., Robert

A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that officials in the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office have overstated the performance of expensive radiation detectors that the Bush administration wants to deploy to prevent the import of radiological materials. According to the report, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office's claims that the machines--known as Advanced Spectroscopic Portal monitors--can identify and detect radioactive materials more accurately than equipment that is currently in use throughout the country cannot be supported by statistical evidence because data collected during Phase 3 of the tests on the machines was too limited. The findings created concern among some lawmakers, who said that they were worried that the Department of Homeland Security is trying to promote technology without knowing whether it is worth the cost. For its part, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office said that the GAO's findings were "misleading and not substantiated" and that the agency's report failed "to acknowledge the depth and breadth" of the tests on the radiation detectors.
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Disease Nanosensors
Nature (10/23/08) Vol. 455 , No. 7216 , P. 1010 ; Lett, Nano

Yale University scientists developed a detection system that allows doctors to non-invasively diagnose patients with infectious diseases. The system does not use dyes or radioactivity, instead using sensitive nanowire sensors to detect the activation of T cells by antigens. The sensor has the ability to distinguish the specific antigen that is activating the T cells, allowing doctors to diagnose a patient. The technology could eventually be used to rapidly diagnose patients and test if medication was successful in treating a disease.
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Detection System Prevents Drinking Water Disasters
Processing Talk (10/20/08)

With constant changes in water source quality and increased risks from global warming, water suppliers can more effectively manage their quality with Liqum's Chena early detection and warning system. Using electrochemistry, the system analyzes water quality in real time and alerts the facility to any changes. Liqum and H2Oinstitute collaborated to create the Chena technology, using electrochemistry to develop nanosensors that can be used in a wide variety of early detection and warning systems for water suppliers, policymakers, and research partners across the globe. By collaborating with the Jyvaskyla Nanoscience Center and National Public Health Institute, Liqum developed a solution to drinking-water related risks such as epidemics, microbe formation, and disinfectant by-products.
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Microreactors Hit the Major Leagues
Chemical & Engineering News (10/20/08) Vol. 86 , No. 42 , P. 37 ; Short, Patricia

Microreactor technology finally appears to be making inroads into major industrial applications thanks to the support of large companies such as Corning and DSM. In a microreactor, chemical reactions take place continuously in channels with very small diameters, making for highly efficient heat transfer and safer handling of dangerous reactions. Microreactors are very attractive to researchers in R&D laboratories, academia, and selective small-scale production processes, and production departments in pharmaceutical and specialty chemical companies are also registering an interest in the technology because of its ability to miniaturize production processes. Olaf Stange of Ehrfeld Mikrotechnik BTS (EMB) says that microreactors demand a shift in thinking among engineers and researchers about production, and he notes that scientists can plan commercialization of a continuous process almost as soon as it is devised at the benchtop stage. Advocates of microreactors say the advantages of continuous-flow processes over batch chemistry include fast organic compound synthesis; minimal waste, energy consumption, and raw material usage; higher automation levels; and quick scale-up from milligram to kilogram quantities. "The main thing is to have a simple but powerful microreactor system," says EMB's Carmine Raffa. "You don't need a special program language for the process automation systems, for example."
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The Death of Microarrays?
Nature (10/16/08) Vol. 455 , No. 7215 , P. 847 ; Ledford, Heidi

A growing number of scientists are using DNA sequencing technology for a variety of research applications, threatening the $700 million microarray industry. Researchers have historically used microarrays to measure gene expression and investigate the human genome. Although the technology is still cheaper and more widely available than sequencing, many academic research labs are placing orders for new sequencing platforms. Sequencing technology does not have many of the limitations of microarrays, such as an inability to detect poorly expressed genes. Experts predict that manufacturers who produce arrays for specific research have the best future outlook as sequencing becomes more prevalent. The low cost of microarrays also makes it likely that the technology will remain in use for some applications, such as genotyping. Affymetrix, a California-based array maker that once dominated the industry, blames its declining growth on reduced spending by the pharmaceutical industry. However, many microarray manufacturers are working on improvements that will help reduce costs and allow them to expand into the growing field of clinical diagnostics. They are also developing arrays that can be used to isolate specific regions of the human genome, though these products are tied to the success of sequencing.
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Microfluidics Joins Fight Against Bioweapon
Chemical Technology (10/17/2008)

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a new sensor with the ability to detect trace levels of botulinum toxin A, a lethal substance that causes botulism. The toxin is one of the deadliest naturally occurring substances, with a single contaminated food source able to quickly kill many people. The team, led by David Beebe, designed a portable microfluidic device that is faster and more sensitive than the mouse bioassay currently used to detect the neurotoxin. The device contains toxin-specific beads, which release fluorescently labeled fragments when they react with a solution containing the toxin. The solution then flows to a detection port, where it is evaporated. Members of the research team hope to adapt the device for other uses, including rapid tests for tuberculosis and HIV in developing countries.
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Pandemic Reporting System Will Speed Lab Info Exchange
Government Health IT (10/10/08) Hayes, Heather B.

The Iowa Public Health Department and the University Hygienic Laboratory (UHL) were awarded a $258,000 grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The money will be used to build an electronic interface capable of speeding up the exchange of test results during a pandemic. The Automated Electronic Influenza Reporting system will allow the UHL, Nebraska Public Health Laboratory and the Minnesota Public Health Laboratory to order tests from one another and transmit results back electronically. The interface will speed up the process of delivering results to physicians as well as warn each lab about the number of tests that will be coming in. Currently, it can take several days to get the results back from a cross-lab test, which officials view as unacceptable in the event of a pandemic. The system will use the Health Level Seven health messaging standard in order to create test-order and result messages that can be transmitted between different Laboratory Information Management Systems.
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Chip Measures Channel Currents
Chemistry World (10/08) Chapman, Vikki

A team of researchers, led by Elodie Dahan at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, has used lab-on-a-chip technology to take non-invasive electrophysiological measurements of ion channels. The conventional technique of measuring ion channel reactions to drug candidates involves piercing a cell with two microelectrodes, which can be time-consuming or harmful to the cell. In Dahan's method, two different solutions flow into a disposable chip to mix at a Y-junction and then flow into a cell inside the chip. The team used frog eggs that had been modified to express the human sodium channel ENaC, and they measured the channel's response to a sodium ion solution. According to Dahan, this technique was an improvement over the conventional, impaling method, and could be useful in pharmacological laboratories to investigate drug candidates.
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Protecting Your Palate
Government Technology (10/01/08) Stewartson, Karen

The European Union-funded OptoCard project has developed lab-on-a-chip technology designed to test food for campylobacter and salmonella in less than an hour. The chip uses microelectromechanical systems such as sensors, fluid channels, and optical components. The OptoCard project is an initiative to create chips that can identify contaminants in food and water.
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