Showing posts with label Nanotechnology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nanotechnology. Show all posts

Monday, April 15, 2013

Nanosponge Absorbs Various Toxins Regardless Of Molecular Structure

Nanosponges Soak Up Toxins Released By Bacterial Infections and Venom.  Jacobs School of Engineering.  University of California San Diego.  April 14, 2013.

Instead of a specific remedy for a specific toxin, the sponge would work agains a broad array of pathogens including MRSA.  A potential application could be in snake bites where, if the sponge is shown to be effective, non-specific sponge treatments could work for a range of venoms.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Brain Activity Map Project To Be Object Of Decade-Long Project

Obama Seeking To Boost Study Of Human Brain by John Markoff.  The New York Times.  February 17, 2013.

Seeking to replicate what the Human Genome Project did for genetics, the Obama administration is proposing a decade-long project that will have implications for diseases (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's), artificial intelligence and computers, and fundamental research.  What the administration is proposing is not a static map of the brain--such a project is already underway--but a dynamic map of brain activity, the Brain Activity Map.  Possible approaches to mapping brain activity include use of nanotechnology, i.e. molecule-size machines to measure and store brain activity at the cellular level

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Five Promising Approaches to Ending Cancer

The Five Most Promising Approaches to Ending Cancer.  The New Scientist.  October 13-19.  This article is at the moment available only to subscribers and on the newsstand.

(1)  RNA Interference involves temporarily turning genes on or off.

(2)  Nanoparticles can permit the precise targeting of cancer cells.

(3)  Super-bugs can be used to produce anti-cancer drugs inside tumors.

(4)  Immunotherapy harnesses the body's own immune system to fight cancer.

(5)  Virotherapy  involves using genetically modified viruses to eat their way through tumors.