Items Tagged With Nanoparticles

In the ongoing search for better ways to target anticancer drugs to kill tumours without making people sick, researchers find that nanoparticles called buckyballs might be used to significantly boost the payload of drugs carried by tumour-targeting antibodies.

In research due to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Chemical Communications, scientists at Rice University and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center describe a method for creating a new class of anti-cancer compounds that contain both tumour-targetting antibodies and nanoparticles called buckyballs. Buckyballs are soccer ball-shaped molecules of pure carbon that can each be loaded with several molecules of anticancer drugs like Taxol^®.

A new technique devised by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers may one day help physicians detect cancerous tumours during early stages of growth.

Nanoparticles of nickel show promise for use as electrode materials in multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC). However, their inception has been hindered by the fact that they prove difficult to synthesise. This has resulted in them being largely ignored by researchers even though commercial applications could be readily found should a viable bulk synthesis be found.

In this work by Kan-Sen Chou, Shuen-Chi Chang and Kuo-Cheng Huang from the National Tsing Hua University, the researchers look at the effect of using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) to enhance the conversion of nanosized nickel precipitates. The commercial potential of the material in capacitors also means the electrical properties were monitored.

NanoSight Ltd has announced it has secured significant investment to support its current sales drive and develop new capabilities in nanoparticle analysis in the sub-500 nm region. NanoSight has received £250,000 from Strathdon Investments plc (“Strathdon”). This latest tranche is the second in a round of investment totalling £500,000, led by Strathdon and including the South West Venture Fund and a private investor.