Nanomedicine Set to Improve and Enhance the Effectiveness of Injectable Drugs

March 4, 2008

In an article featured on the cover of the March issue of “Nature Nanotechnology,” Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D., of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston presented a proof-of-concept study on a new multistage delivery system (MDS) for imaging and therapeutic applications. This discovery could go a long way toward making injectable drugs more effective. The study is included in the March 2 Advance Online Publication on “Nature Nanotechnology’s” Web site.

“This is next generation nanomedicine,” said Ferrari, the senior author. “Now, we’re engineering sophisticated nanostructures to elude the body’s natural defenses, locate tumors and other diseased cells, and release a payload of therapeutics, contrasting agents, or both over a controlled period. It’s the difference between riding a bicycle and a motorcycle.”

The study – “Mesoporous silicon particles as a multistage delivery system for imaging and therapeutic applications” – was conducted with researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Rice University. (Azonano.com)