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Credit: World Scientific, 2015

Nanomedicine has been developing rapidly in recent years, particularly in the development of novel nano tools for medical diagnosis and treatment. For instance, a new trend is becoming prevalent in developing nanosystems for simultaneous tumor diagnosis and therapy.

This requires high versatility of the nanocarriers with multiple functionalities of cell targeting, drug storage, optical imaging, and effective means of treatment such as magnetic and photothermal hyperthermia, photodynamic therapy, and drug release via various intelligent mechanisms (pH, temperature, and biochemical variations in the tumor environment).

A new terminology "theranosics" has been frequently used and applied in pre-clinical research and trials. A nanosystem can simultaneously achieve both cell targeted in vivo imaging and photothermal treatment of cancer. While achieving concurrent high spatial and temporal resolution of the lesions via cell targeting; special non-evasive treatments are implemented at the same time by various means, such as localized drug release, hyperthermia, and photo-thermal therapy.

Inspired by these challenging problems in biomedical fields, the development of the nanotechnologies will be the key in addressing some of the critical issues in medicine, especially in early cancer diagnosis and treatment.

In this book published by World Scientific, Bio-inspired Nanomaterials and Devices summarizes the most recent developments in nanomaterials, biotechnology, and medical diagnosis and therapy in a comprehensive fashion for researchers from diverse fields of chemistry, materials science, physics, engineering, biology, and medicine. Not only does the book touch up on the most fundamental topics of nanoscience, but also deal with critical clinical issues of translational medicine.

The book is written in a straightforward and tutorial fashion, typically suitable for technical non-specialists. All chapters are written by active researchers in frontier research of nanobiomedicine. This book will provide timely and useful information for the progress of nanomaterials and biomedical applications.

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The book retails for US$108 / 71. More information about this book can be found in http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9244

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What is the current development in nanomedicine for clinical diagnosis and treatment?

IMAGE:For outstanding achievements in radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry, Katti has been named the 2015 Hevesy Medal Award winner. view more

Credit: MU News Bureau

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Gold nanoparticles have been proven useful in a number of medical applications. Scientists are developing nanoparticles to produce pharmaceuticals used in the imaging and diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, arthritis, Parkinson's disease and eye degeneration. However, problems occur in the development of these nanoparticles as toxic chemicals are sometimes released during the manufacturing process. For decades, and with funding from the National Institutes of Health, Kattesh Katti, a researcher at the University of Missouri, has been advancing the development of nano-scale molecules, including gold nanoparticles, and has been instrumental in developing environmentally friendly ways of producing these particles using "green" technologies.

For outstanding achievements in radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry, Katti has been named the 2015 Hevesy Medal Award winner. The international award of excellence is named for Nobel Prize Winner George de Hevesy (1885-1966), recognizing his work on the use of isotopes as tracers in the study of chemical processes. The award is given annually to an individual in recognition of excellence through sustained career achievements in the fields of applied nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry.

"I am excited to receive this highly coveted international prize as this truly reflects the outstanding quality of scientific research being done in my laboratories, my department, and our medical school at the University of Missouri," Katti said. "This successful journey, to join the illustrious list of former awardees, wouldn't have been a reality without the painstaking efforts of my former and current students, postdoctoral fellows and scores of faculty and scientist collaborators. This award is the culmination of my success in several different areas of nuclear sciences and medicine including radiopharmaceutical sciences, nanomedicine using radioactive gold nanoparticles, bioconjugation chemistry, transition metal and radiometal chemistries, green nanotechnology and nuclear chemistry for the remediation of radioactive waste. I thank my administration for their continued logistical support and unconditional academic freedom. I thank my wife Kavita, our children and my parents for their constant support."

Katti, Curators Professor of Radiology and Physics in the School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Science and senior research scientist at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), pioneered the development of several nanomedicine tools. Cancer specialists treating prostate cancer with gold nanoparticles, for instance, often were limited to using high doses of toxic chemotherapy. Katti and other researchers at MU found a more efficient way of targeting prostate tumors by using gold nanoparticles and a compound found in tea leaves.

"The Hevesy Medal is international recognition to Kattesh and his fundamental scientific contributions," said Wynn A. Volkert, director of the Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Institute and professor emeritus of radiology, biochemistry and chemistry at MU. "He created new knowledge with applications in nuclear medicine, nanomedicine and radiopharmaceutical sciences, and his discovery of radioactive gold nanoparticles is already creating the potential for new therapeutic applications in oncology."

Katti holds a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science. He was selected as "One of 25 Most Influential Scientists in Molecular Imaging in the World" by rt Image in recognition of his pioneering work on the utility of gold nanoparticles in imaging and therapy. Katti recently was inducted in the National Academy of Inventors, is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and is a Fellow of the St. Louis Academy of Science. Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug cited Katti as the "Father of Green Nanotechnology" in recognition of his groundbreaking green nanotechnology invention of producing gold nanoparticles by a simple mixing of soybeans with gold salt.

"The 2015 Hevesy Medal Award is a fitting tribute to Kattesh for his more than 30 years of sustained groundbreaking research, original discoveries and highly cited scientific contributions encompassing the fields of nuclear chemistry, radiopharmaceutical sciences and nanomedicine," said Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, the Virginia and D. K. Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research, and chair of the Department of Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. "He is highly deserving of this prestigious award for his contributions toward the development of nuclear waste remediation technologies, discovery of radioactive gold nanoparticles in molecular imaging and therapy, and for his plethora of allied nuclear sciences contributions."

Katti will receive the award at a formal ceremony at the Fourteenth International Conference on Modern Trends in Activation Analysis (MTAA-14) to be held at the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, in August 2015.

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Newswise ALEXANDRIA, Va. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for the first time announced its cancer Advance of the Year: the transformation of treatment for the most common form of adult leukemia. Until now, many patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have had few effective treatment options. Four newly approved therapies, however, are poised to dramatically improve the outlook for patients with the disease.

Nearly 120,000 Americans are living with CLL, and approximately 90 percent are diagnosed over age 55.[1,2] The newly approved treatments for CLL include:

- Two immunotherapy drugs for previously untreated CLL, obinutuzumab and ofatumumab (in combination with standard chemotherapy) - Two molecularly targeted drugs for treatment-resistant or relapsed CLL, ibrutinib and idelalisib

These new therapies fill an enormous need for thousands of patients living with CLL, said Gregory Masters, MD, FACP, FASCO, ASCO expert and co-executive editor of the report. For many older patients, especially, these drugs essentially offer the first chance at effective treatment, since the side effects of earlier options were simply too toxic for many to handle.

The Advance of the Year was announced as part of Clinical Cancer Advances 2015: ASCO's Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer, released today.

The report was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and on ASCOs cancer research advocacy website, http://www.CancerProgress.Net/CCA. Now in its 10th year, the report was developed under the direction of an 18-person editorial board of experts from a wide range of oncology specialties. It features:

- The top cancer research advances of the past year Identifying major trends in cancer prevention and screening, treatment, quality of life, survivorship, and tumor biology - A Decade in Review Recounting the most remarkable improvements in cancer care since the first issue of Clinical Cancer Advances - The 10-Year Horizon Previewing trends likely to shape the next decade of cancer care, including genomic technology, nanomedicine, and health information technologies, such as ASCOs CancerLinQ initiative - Progress in Rare Cancers Highlighting promising early achievements in treating certain uncommon but devastating childhood and adult cancers

The Clinical Cancer Advances report also retains its emphasis on the unique and vital role of federally funded research in advancing progress against cancer.

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ASCO Names Cancer Advance of the Year

Ethical Issues Stakeholders Attitudes Towards Code of Conduct in Nanomedicine
Lecture of Dr. Iona Ispas, Advisor Bioethics, Genomic Health at the Ministry of National Education of Romania. The lecture was performed at the Training Wo...

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State capital hosts technology summit

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 12:

A group of Keralites settled in the US hopes to bring together experts across different technology verticals to contribute to the growth of the home State.

The Indian-American Kerala Centre, New York, had organised a technology summit for Kerala in that city on November 14 and 15 last year to assess what all new technology related businesses can be brought here.

Second summit

The Centre is now hosting the second technology summit here on Monday and Tuesday.

The purpose of the New Kerala Initiative is to develop a vibrant environment for economic growth by leveraging local talent as well as skills and expertise of non-residents in new and emerging technologies.

It will help attract investment and resources and will support skills training, mentoring, entrepreneurship and development of employment opportunities.

The goal is to make the state a hub of technology enterprises and activities that can rival similar centres elsewhere in India, says Thomas Abraham, the convener of the meet.

Kerala must explore the possibility of leapfrogging to next technologies including, nanotechnology, nano-bio convergence technologies, nanomedicine, biomedicals and alternative energy generation and storage, he said.

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Newswise LOS ANGELES (Jan. 14, 2015) Nobel laureate Martin Chalfie, PhD, will be the keynote speaker at Cedars-Sinais Nanomedicine for Imaging and Treatment Conference, where two dozen experts from around the world will discuss emerging trends in the study and treatment of diseases at the molecular and atomic levels.

The March 13-14 event will bring together academic researchers, clinicians, representatives from the National Institutes of Health and scientists from private biotech industries to present lectures and abstracts about advances in nanomedicine and the development of imaging and drugs in this specialized field.

This conference will give many top scientists and physicians an opportunity to share insights as the field of nanomedicine matures and we home in on new ways to diagnose, treat and cure diseases, said Keith Black, MD, chair and professor of Cedars-Sinais Department of Neurosurgery.

Chalfie, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University, received the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his part in the discovery and development of green fluorescent protein, found in a species of jellyfish. The protein glows when excited by light. Because it can be attached to many biological substances to make them readily visible, it has become a fundamental tool in a wide range of medical and scientific fields.

This years program will focus on three issues: Nanomedicine and imaging: How far are we from patient care? Latest preclinical and clinical advances in the treatment of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and other pathological conditions. The role of the National Institutes of Health in nanodrug and nano-imaging development.

The conference also will address issues relevant to the biotech industry and the legal profession. Speakers and presenters will discuss research taking place at Cedars-Sinai; the California Institute of Technology; Harvard Medical School; Houston Methodist Hospital; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Germany; the National Cancer Institute; the National Institutes of Health; Northeastern University; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Saarland University, Germany; Stanford University; UCLA; the University of Central Florida; the University of Chicago; the University of New Mexico; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the University of Southern California; and the University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

Nanomedicine is conducted at microscopic levels at a scale of about one to 100 nanometers. A nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter. A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

Julia Ljubimova, MD, PhD, the nanomedicine conferences leading organizer, has worked with colleagues at Cedars-Sinai and UCLA to develop an experimental nanodrug 20 to 30 nanometers in size to deliver antitumor therapies to brain and breast cancers. Ljubimova, professor of neurosurgery and biomedical sciences, is director of the Nanomedicine Research Center in the Department of Neurosurgery and director of the Nanomedicine Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute.

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Nobel Laureate Martin Chalfie to Address International Nanomedicine Conference

Scientists from Oregon State University in the US have developed a means to selectively introduce compounds into cancer cells so that they can be identified and malignant tissues removed in combination with phototherapy, and also killing remaining cancer cells once a tumor has been removed, preventing recurrence. Based on successful laboratory trials, this mix of surgery and non-toxic phototherapy has great potential for improving on existing chemotherapies and radiotherapies.

Although for many cancers surgery is the first choice treatment, it is not easy to remove most of the tumors, and residual cancer cells can eventually lead to relapse. The team were therefore exploring novel nanotechnology-based platforms to treat different cancers using intraoperative guidance with a real-time near infrared (NIR) fluorescence signal. As reported in the journal Nanoscale [Taratula et al. Nanoscale (2015) DOI: 10.1039/C4NR06050D], they devised a system for greater accuracy in the surgical removal of solid tumors and eradicating remaining cancer cells using the compound naphthalocyanine.

This derivative of phthalocyanine has unusual properties when exposed to near-infrared light, such as making cells glow thus helping to guide surgeons to specific cells and heating the cell to kill it off through mild heating and the development of reactive oxygen species. By adjusting the intensity of the light, the action of the compound can be controlled and optimized to kill only the tumor and cancer cells, and nothing else. It is hoped that this double attack from 'glowing' nanotechnology based on a single-agent-based nanomedicine platform capable of both NIR fluorescence imaging and combinatorial phototherapy could significantly improve the success of cancer surgeries.

However, while naphthalocyanine is commercially available, its potential clinical application is limited by low water solubility and aggregation, which reduces its ability to make cells glow and generate reactive oxygen species, as well as preventing it from finding its way through the circulatory system to reach specific cells. They overcame these obstacles through the use of a special water-soluble nanoparticle polymer called a dendrimer, which allows the compound to be concealed within a molecule that attaches to cancer cells.

Although the process has demonstrated in laboratory mice, the team will look to make improvements before testing on larger animals with malignant tumors. They also hope to explore the optimization of this nanomedicine platform by focusing on the performance of image-guided cancer surgery and intraoperative phototherapy and employing it with an imaging system specifically designed for real-time NIR imaging.

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Nanoparticles could help guide surgery on cancer cells

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

NANOBIOTIX (Paris:NANO) (Euronext: NANO ISIN: FR0011341205), a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer, provides its activities and achievements during 2014 and an overview of anticipated 2015 events including the financial calendar. The Company made major clinical and financial progress, including broadening of indications and strategic plans across Europe, Asia and the US.

Highlights

Laurent Levy, CEO of Nanobiotix said: 2014 has been a pivotal year for the Company, with significant progress in clinical development, where we jumped from an early clinical stage to late clinical stage. This has impacted our visibility and exposure from a financial and industrial point of view allowing us to accomplish two capital raises this year. We are now in a position to create value through the expansion of the indications and geographical area of development for the lead product, NBTXR3. As a result, 2015 is expected to be a year of further significant progress with intermediary clinical results, US corporate developments and launch of new indications; all building on the successes of 2014 and preparing for the final steps of CE marking by the end 2016 required before commercial launch.

Overview

Expansion of clinical development programme

The company is developing three different products that can be administered either by direct injection into the tumor (NBTXR3), intravenous injection (NBTX-IV) or topical application to fill tumor cavities just after tumor surgery (NBTX-TOPO).

NBTXR3 is the first product of the NanoXray portfolio to reach clinical development. The product comprises nanoparticles which can be injected directly into tumor. With the application of radiotherapy, these nanoparticles absorb X-rays which significantly enhances the radiation dose within the cancer cells without increasing the dose to the surrounding healthy tissues. Currently, NBTXR3 is classified as a medical device in Europe and a drug in the United States (US).

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS): green light to start registration trial

In June 2014 during ASCO, the Company presented positive Phase I clinical study results for NBTXR3, demonstrating feasibility and safety of intratumoral injection of the product followed by radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced STS. In addition to the feasibility and safety data presented, promising signs of efficacy have been demonstrated.

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Nanobiotix 2014 Review, 2015 Anticipated Milestones and Financial Calendar Nanobiotix Moved up to a New Level: Major ...

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) Shares of WD-40 Co. slipped in the extended session Wednesday on an earnings miss.

WD-40 WDFC, -3.33% shares fell 5.2% to $81 on light volume after the companys fiscal first-quarter results fell short of Wall Street expectations.

Shares of NephroGenex Inc. NRX, +5.21% rose 19% to $10.99 on moderate volume after the clinical-stage drug company said late-stage studies on its diabetic nephropathy treatment Pyridorin would be able to support a marketing application in Europe. The company also disclosed that RHO Capital had taken an 11.9% stake in the company.

Bind Therapeutics Inc. BIND, +58.83% shares jumped 26% to $6.50 on moderate volume. The nanomedicine platform company said it expects one of its collaboration partners will file a drug application with the FDA by mid-2015 using their Accurin drug delivery particles.

Mistras Group Inc. MG, +12.53% shares rose 13% to $20.63 on light volume after the company reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of 33 cents a share on revenue of $206.9 million. Analysts had estimated 26 cents a share on revenue of $186.2 million.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. ALXN, -2.21% shares fell 4.8% to $179 in late trading after the company said a phase 2 clinical trial of eculizumab -- a drug to help prevent rejection of kidney transplants -- failed to meet its primary composite endpoint.

Insulet Corp. PODD, -8.16% shares fell 7.9% to $41 on moderate volume after the insulin pump company said it expects fourth-quarter revenue of $71 million to $73 million, down from a previous estimate of $76 million to $81 million, because of a delay in product shipments. Analysts had expected $79.6 million.

Zumiez Inc. ZUMZ, -0.65% shares rose 2.7% to $41.35 on light volume after the specialty retailer raised its guidance for the fourth quarter.

These were the stocks making notable moves during the regular session Wednesday:

Keurig Green Mountain Inc. GMCR, +2.30% signed a deal with Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. DPS, +1.67% to sell capsules that make its sodas in Keurigs planned cold-drink machine.

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Movers & Shakers: WD-40 shares slip as results fall below Street view

This years Descartes-Huygens Prize has been awarded to two physicists, Ludwik Leibler and Willem Vos, for their research in polymer science and nanophotonics. The prize was set up by the French and Dutch governments in 1995 to reward scientists from the two countries for their research and for their contribution to collaboration between France and the Netherlands.

Ludwik Leibler is a French physicist who has developed a revolutionary new technique that uses a nanoparticle solution made from polymers to connect human tissue. His share of the prize money (23 000 in all) will allow him to take part in Radboud Universitys Nanomedicine Alliance research programme, where he hopes to study how cells and soft materials, like hydrogels, interact.

Willem Vos is a nanophotonics expert and works for the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente. His team recently discovered that a photonics bandgap can completely stop light being emitted from a material. His share of the prize will allow him to forge a partnership between the Institute of Nanosciences and Cryogenics in Grenoble and the University of Twente. During his time in Grenoble, he plans to study ultrafast methods for controlling how light and other particles interact with each other a discipline called cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Photonic materials are nanostructured crystals in which periodic variation of the refractive index on the length scale of visible light produces a photonic "band gap". This gap affects how photons propagate through the material and is similar to the way in which a periodic potential in semiconductors affects the flow of electrons by defining allowed and forbidden energy bands. In the case of photonic crystals, light of certain wavelength ranges can pass through the photonic band gap while light in other ranges is reflected.

The Descartes-Huygens Prize is named after the French philosopher Ren Descartes (1596-1650) and Dutch mathematician Christian Huygens (1629-1695). Each year, it is awarded to scientists from a different discipline (the humanities and social sciences, the natural sciences and the life sciences). It is presented by the French Acadmie des Sciences and The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

The Prizewinners will receive their awards on the 26th January 2015 at The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam.

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Nanoscientists bag Descartes-Huygens Prize

Inaugurational lecture Prof. Dr. Willem Mulder - Cardiovascular Nanomedicine
Summary of Prof. Dr. Willem Mulder #39;s inauguration lecture - Cardiovascular Nanomedicine: A small solution for a big problem. University of Amsterdam (UvA) - ...

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Dec-2014

Contact: Jeff Sossamon sossamonj@missouri.edu 573-882-3346 University of Missouri-Columbia @mizzounews

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology, or the use of microscopic structures to diagnose, image, treat and prevent disease. Current problems in nanomedicine include understanding and anticipating the potentially toxic impact these nanostructures have on the body and the environment once they're released. Kattesh Katti, a researcher at the University of Missouri, is developing nano-scale molecules, including gold nanoparticles and other "green" technologies, to image and treat diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and degeneration of the eye--all while curtailing the impact these structures sometimes have on the body and environment.

For distinguished contributions to the fields of chemistry, radiopharmaceutical sciences, green nanotechnology and nanomedicine, Katti has been chosen for induction as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Election as an NAI Fellow is a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

"I am thrilled to be elected into this prestigious fellowship of the National Academy of Inventors," Katti said. "It is particularly gratifying that I am joining the august group of outstanding NAI fellows along with another great Mizzou colleague who is also being inducted. Election into NAI is a clear reflection of our outstanding quality of discovery research here at MU as our academic approach is embedded with inventions and entrepreneurship. I am indebted to all my teachers, collaborators, post-doctoral fellows and students because this success is a culmination of our collective painstaking efforts. I thank my wife Kavita, our children and my parents for all their support throughout my professional life."

Katti, Curators Professor of Radiology and Physics in the School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Science and senior research scientist at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), pioneered the development of several nanomedicine tools used in hospitals worldwide. Cancer specialists treating prostate cancer with gold nanoparticles, for instance, often were limited to using high doses of toxic chemotherapy. Katti and other researchers at MU found a more efficient way of targeting prostate tumors by using gold nanoparticles and a compound found in tea leaves. When combined through methods he developed, this treatment can be used in much smaller doses and travels through the body without inflicting damage to healthy areas.

Katti's work in developing green nanotechnology includes the use of common spices and plants to target, image and treat ailments. The usual method of creating gold nanoparticles utilizes harmful chemicals and acids that are not environmentally safe and contain toxic impurities. Katti helped develop the method that scientists use to mix gold salts with cinnamon and stir the mixture with water to synthesize gold nanoparticles. These green therapies are less toxic to the body and could provide alternatives to current treatments like chemotherapy and radiation which have negative side effects.

"As a professor of journalism, I can see how Kattesh's inventions will reach both our students and society at large," said Randall D. Smith, professor and Donald W. Reynolds Endowed Chair of Business Journalism in the Reynolds Journalism Institute at MU. "His approach to academic enterprise stands as a role model on how academicians, regardless of their discipline, should embrace inventions and entrepreneurial philosophy in teaching and research."

Katti holds a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science. He was selected as "One of 25 Most Influential Scientists in Molecular Imaging in the World" by rt Image in recognition of his pioneering work on the utility of gold nanoparticles in imaging and therapy. Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug cited Katti as the "Father of Green Nanotechnology" in recognition of his groundbreaking green nanotechnology invention of producing gold nanoparticles by simple mixing of soy beans with gold salt. Katti was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and is a Fellow of the St. Louis Academy of Science. His green nanotechnology discovery using cinnamon-phytochemicals in the mediated production of gold nanoparticles was selected as "one of the 10 best inventions of 2010" by BioresearchOnline.com.

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Newswise La Jolla, Calif., December 16, 2014 Two professors at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have been named Charter Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI): Erkki Ruoslahti, M.D., Ph.D., distinguished professor and former president of Sanford-Burnham, and Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., current president of the Institute. Ruoslahti and Vuori are now part of a group of 414 NAI Fellows from more than 150 prestigious research universities, government, and nonprofit research institutions.

Election to the NAI Fellows is a significant professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

Im honored to be named a Charter Fellow of the NAI, said Vuori. I owe a large part of this distinction to the talented scientists, staff, and students I have worked with at Sanford-Burnham over the years.

Academic inventors are elected by their peers for innovative contributions in areas such as patenting and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

An internationally recognized leader in nanomedicine, Ruoslahti focuses his research on directing drugs to sites of disease. His main discovery and invention is the integrin-binding tripeptide motif RGD, a sequence within fibronectin that mediates cell attachment, and is found in numerous other cell-attachment proteins. His recent work has contributed to better tumor imaging and improving drug delivery to specific disease sites.

It is a great honor to be named a Fellow of the NAI, said Ruoslahti. There are so many giants of innovation that have received this distinction, and Im grateful to be part of that group.

Ruoslahti holds 314 issued patents, and is the founder of the Center for Nanomedicine at UC Santa Barbara, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Institute for Medicine, and a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the recipient of the Japan Prize, Gairdner Award, Clowes Award, Pasarow Award, and Jacobaeus Prize, and is a 2012 Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate. He is Knight and Commander of the Orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland.

Vuori joined the faculty of Sanford-Burnham in 1996 and has been president of Sanford-Burnham since 2010. She is also professor and holder of the Pauline and Stanley Presidential Chair, and served as director of Sanford-Burnhams NCI-designated Cancer Center from 2005 until 2013. Her main research focus is aimed at unraveling the molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis, particularly the process that makes normal cells adhesion dependent. Normal cells adhere to their microenvironment for survival; if they become detached they will die. Cancer cells are somehow able to detach from their surroundings and move to other tissues in the body and survive and grow. Understanding the mechanisms of cell adhesion opens new approaches to preventing cancer metastasis.

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

11-Dec-2014

Contact: Keith Coles keith.coles@brunel.ac.uk Brunel University @bruneluni

Scientists at Brunel University London have found a way of targeting hard-to-reach cancers and degenerative diseases using nanoparticles, but without causing the damaging side effects the treatment normally brings.

In a huge step forward in the use of nanomedicine, the research helped discover proteins in the blood that disguise nanoparticles so they are absorbed into cells without causing inflammation and destroying healthy cells.

Two studies, Complement activation by carbon nanotubes and its influence on the phagocytosis and cytokine response by macrophages and Complement deposition on nanoparticles can modulate immune responses by macrophage, B and T cells, found that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) triggered a chain reaction in the complement system, which is part of the innate immune system and is responsible for clearing pathogens and toxins.

The team, led by Dr Uday Kishore of the Centre for Infection, Immunity and Disease Mechanisms, found the entire complement system was activated, from C1 at the start to C5 at the end. This in turn activated the cell-killing membrane attack complex.

In principle, this should have caused an acute allergic, inflammatory reaction. However the opposite was true.

The interaction between CNTs and C1q (a starter-protein for complement) was anti-inflammatory. This suggests that either coating nanoparticles or healthy tissue with complement proteins could reduce tissue damage and help treat inflammatory diseases like Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS and Alzheimer's.

It was not clear if the binding between complement proteins and CNTs was direct or indirect. However, changing the surfaces of CNTs affected how likely the complement system was to be activated and in what way.

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'Trojan horse' proteins used to target hard-to-reach cancers

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Nanomedicine Ethics
Ethics Regarding Nanomedicine Leicester University.

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Homeopathy Nanomedicine in Chronic Disease and Immune Disorders - Dana Ullman
Dana Ullman, MPH, CCH presents Homeopathy Nanomedicine in Chronic Disease and Immune Disorders on October 16, 2014 at Palo Alto, CA. DANA ULLMAN, MPH, CCH, is one of America #39;s ...

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The Department of NanoMedicine and Biomedical Engineering is focused on inter-disciplinary research combining NanoMedicine, Biomedical Engineering and computational sciences to develop novel therapeutic and diagnostic platforms for combating diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and infectious diseases. In partnership with UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, a number of major initiatives are being brought together in the South Campus CABIR research building, including a new multi-institutional NCI Center on NanoMedicine and a GE, UTHealth and UTMDACC partnership to create a new, state-of-the-art imaging center.

A NanoMedicine and Biomedical Engineering Scholarly Concentration is designed to offer the student the opportunity to learn emerging new technologies in biomedical nanotechnology and engineering.

A series of cross-appointments with faculty in other departments, divisions, and units and adjunct appointments with faculty in other collaborating institutions through The Alliance for NanoHealth and other Texas Medical Center institutions are utilized to enhance multidisciplinary research and expand the available opportunities for the training and teaching of students.

Several ongoing research projects include:

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The Department of NanoMedicine and BioMedical Engineering

By Estel Grace Masangkay

Clinical stage nanomedicine platform company BIND Therapeutics announced that it has signed a joint R&D agreement with Merck to develop novel nanomedicines for oncology.

According to the terms of the agreement, BIND will use its Medicinal Nanoengineering proprietary platform to build targeted Accurins that will be based on investigational KSP and PLK1 inhibitors selected from Mercks preclinical oncology portfolio. The partnership could potentially include additional Merck compounds in the future. BIND will take the lead in funding and conducting R&D activities to move Accurin candidates through first-in-human trials. Merck and BIND will then have alternate options to choose whether or not to develop and market the Accurin products. If BIND chooses to pursue further development, Merck will be eligible to receive royalty payments once the products reach the market. However, if Merck assumes responsibility for further development, it will pay BIND a fee based on R&D expenses with additional royalty payments on future sales. No further financial terms of the agreement were disclosed by either company.

Accurins are nanoparticles that are used to encapsulate anticancer drugs in a biodegradable polymer shell, which carries the drug to the targeted cancer cells and can keep healthy cells safe. The first two compounds from Merck will include a kinesin spindle protein (KSP) inhibitor and a polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) inhibitor, which are both regulators of cell mitosis and which play a part in enabling cancer cells to multiply. KSP and PLK1 pathways are considered difficult to target using traditional agents due to therapeutic index limitations.

Scott Minick, CEO of BIND Therapeutics, said, This is an exciting and unique collaboration for BIND as it provides us with novel proprietary payloads to develop as Accurin product candidates for our internal pipeline. BIND recently saw a previous partnership with Amgen fizzle out in July, which caused its shares to drop in value in September. The new deal with Merck validates its technology and position in the nanomedicine field, the company said.

Dr. Eric Rubin, VP of clinical oncology at Merck Research Laboratories, said, We are pleased to collaborate with BIND Therapeutics to expand Merck's active oncology discovery programs. We look forward to combining compounds from our oncology portfolio with BIND's nanomedicine technology platform.

Link:
Merck And BIND To Develop Nanomeds For Cancer

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

12-Nov-2014

Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society @ACSpressroom

Nanomedicine is offering patients a growing arsenal of therapeutic drugs for a variety of diseases but often at a cost of thousands of dollars a month. Generics could substantially reduce the price tag for patients -- if only there were a well-defined way to make and regulate them. An article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, details the challenges on the road to generic nanodrugs.

Matt Davenport, a C&EN contributing editor, points out that in small-molecule therapeutics -- aspirin, for example -- the active ingredient is the primary concern of regulators. For these drugs, making generic versions is a relatively straightforward process. Nanomedicine, on the other hand, is far more complicated. It often involves packaging an active ingredient inside engineered delivery systems made out of materials such as lipids, polymers or carbohydrates. Even slight changes to a nanodrug's structure can result in a different toxicity level.

To date, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved dozens of nanodrugs although it has no formal regulatory definition for what a nanodrug is. Such a definition would be a first step toward clearer regulations.

The agency currently examines each nano therapeutic on a case-by-case basis and offers guidance to drug makers that is nonbinding for now. Still, in 2013, the FDA signed off on what many consider to be the first generic therapeutic in this category, but no one is sure when the next approval might come.

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Link:
Regulatory and scientific complexity of generic nanodrugs could delay savings for patients