MIT researchers use nanotechnology to personalize drug therapy

February 14, 2008

Nanoparticles and silicon chips could target cancerous tumors or individual organs

Researchers at MIT have developed a new nanotechnology that could someday be implanted in the human body to target tumors or specific organs with time-released drug dosages.

Layering charged nanoparticles with medications like chemotherapy drugs or insulin, scientists are hoping to directly deliver drugs for critical and chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes, according to Paula Hammond, a Bayer professor of chemical engineering at MIT. Once the layered device is in the body, it will be activated by a remote control or a silicon chip programmed to dispense specific dosages at specific intervals.

“I think this actually marks a new direction for medicine, which is the personalization of medical care,” said Hammond, who has been working on this project for the past four years. (Computerworld)