Profiles in Nanomedicine Research: Mallapragada

By: ISUengineering

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Profiles in Nanomedicine Research: Mallapragada - Video

In Nanovision by Paul T. Harry, we are introduced to the subject of nanotechnology or nanomedicine, the medical application of that technology.

A devastating murder and betrayal leaves one person dead and a young teen without both his father and vision due to the fire used to cover up that murder. Daniel wakes up in the hospital with no vision and no memories. He doesn't remember his life before his pain and has nowhere to go.

Upon further search, an aunt that has cut off ties long in the past is located. She is involved in the field of Nanomedicine and works in research. Not sure she is capable of taking on such a tragic young man, she nevertheless does her best. Ethyl Santini is raising her granddaughter and leads a very busy life of research in a nanolab where she is at work on regeneration. The testing of animals has proved to be extremely workable, and she has been able to save many that would not have lived otherwise.

In her heart she knows that she must help Daniel, and while she had not been aware she had a nephew, she is up to the challenge. Armed with her granddaughter's approval she brings him into her family. Aware that while to the outside world he has been declared dead, there are concerns that he may still not be safe.

The fit is perfect, and Ethyl is thrilled to find Daniel so likable. As he bonds with her younger charge life seems to be just right. Yet now her lab is in trouble, and she is uneasy about her own research. Knowing she could be ousted at any time, she does the unimaginable. She puts together a new formula for her own nephew. With his agreement, they begin a series of doses to see if nanotechnology can help his eyesight. None of them are prepared for the changes.

As Daniel's regeneration begins, his memory resurfaces, as well as anger at the death of his father and the assault on himself. Heading back to his home he is after the very man who changed his life. Judy, the FBI special investigator that followed the crime and found his aunt, is notified, and she begins the hunt to find him, for she knows more about this crime then he understands. Can she locate him before he finds those responsible? She is very aware that if he comes upon them first, he will not survive for they have been in the business of death for a long time. With his sudden disappearance, can she find him before it is too late?

Harry has given us characters that are interesting and likable. His use of technology is an interesting foil and creates a plausible storyline. The action and undertakings seem very real and are much like some of the crimes we see reported in the news, yet he takes us on a rocky journey of home and nanomedicine.

His interpretation of the reactions as Daniel's blindness recedes is amazing, and the action and interplay is sharp. You find the possibilities for exciting and strange. He has given us an intriguing thriller full of danger and excitement, and threaded it with the possibility of medical miracles.

If you enjoy action, mystery and suspense with just a touch of the unbelievable you will find this a great book for your library. Once you begin, plan on a full day of reading; this work is difficult to put down.

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Book Review: 'Nanovision,' A Technological Thriller by Paul T. Harry

What it's all about

The recent emergence of nanoscience as a key approach to innovation in advanced materials has sparked a similar interest in the application of its principles to the fields of biomedical diagnostics, therapeutics, and basic cell physiology.

The overarching goal of the new St Louis Institute of Nanomedicine sponsored by the Missouri Life Sciences Research Board is to advance the safe and effective use of nanotechnologies to reduce death and suffering from human disease.

The St. Louis Institute for Nanomedicine is a joint venture sponsored principally by leading local academic institutions that will assemble a broad base of regional expertise in the nanotechnology, medicine, technology transfer, and education to create novel solutions to complex health care problems.

Founding partners include: WashingtonFounding partners include: Washington University, University of Missouri at St Louis, St Louis University, and the St Louis Community Colleges. The Institute will develop viable approaches to foster collaborations between multinational industrial and regional academic partners, and seek to leverage local financial and community resources to grow the regional biotechnology enterprise.

Link:
St Louis Institute of Nanomedicine - Home

Regulatory News:

NANOBIOTIX (Euronext: NANO ISIN: FR0011341205), a clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer, today announces the transfer of its shares from compartment C to compartment B of the regulated market of Euronext in Paris with effect as from January 28, 2015, thanks to its stock market capitalization increase performances during 2014.

Compartment B groups together listed companies with a stock market capitalization of between 150 million and 1 billion euros. For the record, the average market capitalization of Nanobiotix over the last 60 trading days in 2014 was 249 million euros.

This transfer has no impact on the inclusion of Nanobiotix shares to NYSE Euronext indexes.

Laurent Levy, CEO of Nanobiotix comments: Following our admission to the SRD label in December, we are proud to announce the transfer of our shares from compartment C to compartment B of the regulated market of Euronext in Paris. This transfer rewards the dynamism and stock market performance of Nanobiotix during 2014. This operation and the strong increase of Nanobiotix shares liquidity with more than 1 billion 300 million euros traded this year, should improve the visibility of Nanobiotix to the international financial and industrial communities.

Compartment transfers were officially announced to market members by means of a notice to the market from Euronext on January 26, with an effective date of January 28, 2015.

Next financial press release: revenue for the 4thquarter of 2014 by February 27, 2015

About NANOBIOTIX: http://www.nanobiotix.com/fr

Nanobiotix (Euronext: NANO / ISIN: FR0011341205) is a clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer. The companys first-in-class, proprietary technology, NanoXray, enhances radiotherapy energy with a view to provide a new, more efficient treatment for cancer patients. NanoXray products are compatible with current radiotherapy treatments and are meant to treat a wide variety of cancers including Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Breast Cancer, Liver Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Glioblastoma, Prostate Cancer, etc., via multiple routes of administration.

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Nanobiotix Shares Transferred from Compartment C to Compartment B of the Regulated Market of Euronext in Paris

IMAGE:Professor Dimitrios Stamou heads a team specializing in investigating single cells and cell membranes along with a multidisciplinary team from Bio-Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University... view more

Credit: Photo: Jes Andersen/University of Copenhagen.

The findings of Professor Dimitrios Stamou, Post Doc Jannik Bruun Larsen and a multidisciplinary team from Bio-Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry are published under the title "Membrane curvature enables N-Ras lipid anchor sorting to liquid-ordered membrane phases" in the highly respected journal Nature Chemical Biology.

Ras-proteins inhabit the interior wall of each and every cell in the human body. Their role is to activate cell division or cell growth, so cancers develop if the protein starts to permanently trigger cells to grow and split: A process known as misregulation.

Ras misregulates if it misses its correct location on the cell wall; its membrane. What Stamou and Larsen discovered is that Ras cannot reach its designated location if the membrane has the wrong shape, explains Professor Dimitrios Stamou.

"If the curvature of the cell is right, Ras goes to the right place. If the membrane is too straight or too bent, it does not. And Ras is very much like any other worker. If it never finds the way to its work place, it is not likely to get any work done", says Stamou.

Ras are thought to be misregulated in upwards of 30 % of all cancers and is specifically linked to highly lethal strains in lungs, colon and pancreas. For three decades researchers have been searching for ways to quench the killer protein. Their lack of success has given Ras a reputation as the "undruggable cancer target" so Stamou is suggesting to head off in an entirely new direction.

"If Ras goes off the rails because of changes in the curvature of the cell, perhaps we should target whatever changes the shape of the cell membrane, says professor Stamou and goes on: "This is a change of perspective similar to when we went from flying with hot air balloons to taking off with fixed wings and propellers".

Looking for a correlation between cell shape and Ras misregulation was unusual bordering on controversial, says Jannik Bruun Larsen. The team was investigating how the proteins attach themselves to the cell wall and Larsen tried to attach Ras to a variety of simulated cell membranes formed into small spheres or vesicles of varying sizes. Ras would attach more readily to smaller balls. These are more curved than large and Larsen started to see a pattern.

"For more than a decade people thought that the constituents of the cell wall was the thing that controlled where Ras was localized, . We have shown, that at least one other aspect, namely membrane curvature, governs where Ras ends up in the cell and is therefore likely to be a factor in cancer development,", says the jubilant Post Doc, Jannik Bruun Larsen.

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New strategy to combat 'undruggable' cancer molecule

DGAP-News: MagForce AG / Key word(s): Regulatory Admission MagForce AG: MagForce AG and MagForce USA, Inc. Announce FDA Pre-IDE Meeting on MagForce's NanoTherm(TM) Prostate Cancer Therapy Pre-Submission

27.01.2015 / 08:00

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MagForce AG and MagForce USA, Inc. Announce FDA Pre-IDE Meeting on MagForce's NanoTherm(TM) Prostate Cancer Therapy Pre-Submission

Berlin, Germany and Nevada, USA, January 27, 2015 - MagForce AG (Frankfurt, Entry Standard, XETRA: MF6, ISIN: DE000A0HGQF5), a leading medical device company in the field of nanomedicine focused on oncology, together with its subsidiary MagForce USA, Inc. today announced that an in-person meeting was held with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health to discuss FDA's response to MagForce's NanoTherm(TM) Prostate Cancer Therapy Pre-Submission of November, 2014.

"We received very constructive feedback on our submission and have an understanding of the pathway to market in the USA of NanoTherm(TM) Therapy to focally ablate prostate cancer. MagForce USA, Inc. will accelerate the prostate cancer Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to utilize the MFH 300F NanoActivator(R) for both Glioblastoma and Prostate NanoTherm(TM) Therapy registration," commented Dr. Ben J. Lipps, CEO of MagForce AG and MagForce USA, Inc.

About MagForce AG and MagForce USA, Inc.

MagForce AG, listed in the entry standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (MF6, ISIN: DE000A0HGQF5), together with its subsidiary MagForce USA, Inc. is a leading medical device company in the field of nanomedicine focused on oncology. The Group's proprietary NanoTherm(TM) therapy enables the targeted treatment of solid tumors through the intratumoral generation of heat via activation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles. Mithril Capital Management, a growth-stage technology fund founded by Ajay Royan and Peter Thiel, along with MagForce AG, are investors and strategic partners in MagForce USA, Inc.

NanoTherm(TM), NanoPlan(R), and NanoActivator(R) are components of the therapy and have received EU-wide regulatory approval as medical devices for the treatment of brain tumors. MagForce, NanoTherm(TM), NanoPlan(R), and NanoActivator(R) are trademarks of MagForce AG in selected countries.

For more information, please visit: http://www.magforce.com.

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DGAP-News: MagForce AG: MagForce AG and MagForce USA, Inc. Announce FDA Pre-IDE Meeting on MagForce's NanoTherm(TM ...

Ethical, Legal, Social and Economic Aspects of Nanomedicine
Lecture of Dr. Klaus-Michael Weltring, Chair of WG Eyhics in ETPN. The lecture was performed at the Training Workshop on Ethical Issues in Nanomedicine, the ...

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Ethical, Legal, Social and Economic Aspects of Nanomedicine - Video

WEST HAVEN, Conn., Jan. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC) (the "Company"), a nanomedicine company developing anti-viral drugs, reported a good safety profile of an optimized FluCide drug candidate in a GLP-like toxicology study in rats. These results are extremely important since they indicate that FluCide continues to look very promising as one of the most advanced candidates in the Company's drug development pipeline.

No direct adverse clinical effects were found upon administration of the FluCide candidate intravenously at doses of up to 300mg/kg/day for 14 days (a total of 4,200mg/kg) in rats. Organs were examined for gross histological observations. Microscopic histological tissue analysis was also performed. There were no adverse histological findings in gross organ level histological examination, nor were there any adverse findings in microscopic histological analysis. Equally importantly, there were no meaningful effects observed on animal weight gain, food consumption, hematology, or clinical chemistry at the end of the 14 day dosing period.

The study was conducted at BASi (Bioanalytical Systems, Inc., NASDAQ: BASI) in Evansville, Indiana. The study was performed in a cGLP-like fashion, compliant with BASi Evansville standard operating procedures. BASi has over 40 years of experience providing contract research services and niche instrumentation to the life sciences, primarily drug research and development.

These results are in agreement with the previously reported results of a non-GLP toxicology study in mice. The current study results also support the Company's positive findings in animal models of infection with different influenza A virus strains in which no safety or toxicology concerns were observed. The Company has previously reported that many of its FluCide candidates demonstrated extremely high anti-influenza activity in those models.

This study was developed in collaboration with BASi and conducted by BASi in a cGLP-like fashion in order to understand the safety parameters of FluCide intravenous dosing.

The next phase of the toxicology package studies will involve larger animals, and will require much larger quantities of the drug candidate. The Company is in the process of commissioning operations at the new 1 Controls Drive, Shelton, CT facility in order to perform the scale up studies needed for making the large quantities of materials in a controlled manner. These upcoming studies will be performed in cGLP compliant manner to provide safety and toxicology data that are required for an IND submission to regulatory agencies.

About NanoViricides: NanoViricides, Inc. (www.nanoviricides.com) is a development stage company that is creating special purpose nanomaterials for antiviral therapy. The Company's novel nanoviricide class of drug candidates are designed to specifically attack enveloped virus particles and to dismantle them. The Company is developing drugs against a number of viral diseases including H1N1 swine flu, H5N1 bird flu, seasonal Influenza, HIV, oral and genital Herpes, viral diseases of the eye including EKC and herpes keratitis, Hepatitis C, Rabies, Dengue fever, and Ebola virus, among others.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events. Actual events could differ materially and substantially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors. Certain statements in this release, and other written or oral statements made by NanoViricides, Inc. are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's expectations include, but are not limited to, those factors that are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in documents filed by the company from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities. Although it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors, they may include the following: demonstration and proof of principle in pre-clinical trials that a nanoviricide is safe and effective; successful development of our product candidates; our ability to seek and obtain regulatory approvals, including with respect to the indications we are seeking; the successful commercialization of our product candidates; and market acceptance of our products.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150107/167444LOGO

SOURCE NanoViricides, Inc.

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NanoViricides Reports that the FluCide Candidate was found to be Very Safe in cGLP-like Safety and Toxicology Study ...

IMAGE:This is the cover for Bio-inspired Nanomaterials and Applications. view more

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.

###

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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MU researcher recognized for contributions to nanomedicine

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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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Ethical Issues & Stakeholders Attitudes Towards Code of Conduct in Nanomedicine - Video

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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US-based Keralites initiative to bring home tech businesses

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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) - ...

By: High on Nano

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Inaugurational lecture Prof. Dr. Willem Mulder - Cardiovascular Nanomedicine - Video

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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MU scientist and inventor advances the study of nanomedicine