Home > News > Good things come in small packages: Nanotechnology applied to diabetes therapy
May 18th, 2009
Good things come in small packages: Nanotechnology applied to diabetes therapy
Abstract:
Dr. Uday Kompella, a recently recruited professor at the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, is applying nanotechnology to the formulation of drugs for diabetic retinopathy, further establishing the Denver area as a leader in diabetes research. Nanoparticles are created by suffusing the solution of drug plus polymer with energy of a specific intensity and frequency. The polymer surrounds the drug to create the particle rather than mixing with the drug using the same principles that keep water and oil from mixing. Once the particles are created, the various solutes are removed by evaporative techniques and the particles are collected by high speed centrifugation. In effect, this creates long lasting tiny injectable pills. Once the drug is encapsulated in the polymer, the nanoparticles can then be further coated with a second molecule that targets the drug to a specific tissue. While this technique is still several years away from FDA approval, members of Dr. Kompella's team have successfully targeted drugs to the eyes of diabetic rats using these delivery systems.
"We are excited about the new drugs and delivery technologies that are under development to treat diabetic retinopathy. Also, we are equally excited about an unpublished observation of ours that exercise reduces a retinal factor responsible for capillary growth in diabetic retinopathy." Dr. Kompella stated.
Source:
examiner.com
Bookmark:
News and information
Whirlpools on the Nanoscale Could Multiply Magnetic Memory: At the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley Lab scientists join an international team to control spin orientation in magnetic nanodisks May 22nd, 2013
Bacterial spare parts filter antibiotic residue from groundwater May 22nd, 2013
UofL scientists uncover how grapefruits provide a secret weapon in medical drug delivery May 22nd, 2013
Atomic-Scale Investigations Solve Key Puzzle of LED Efficiency: MIT and Brookhaven Lab scientists use electron microscopy imaging techniques to settle a solid-state controversy and raise new experimental possibilities May 22nd, 2013
Possible Futures
Lifeboat publishes its first book: The Lifeboat Foundation has published its first book, "The Human Race to the Future: What Could Happen -- and What to Do" May 14th, 2013
UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013
Conceptual Nanomedical Lipofuscin Removal Strategy April 29th, 2013
The Global Desalination Market 2013-2023 April 24th, 2013
Nanomedicine
UofL scientists uncover how grapefruits provide a secret weapon in medical drug delivery May 22nd, 2013
Single-Cell Transfection Tool Enables Added Control for Biological Studies: McCormick researchers develop method of delivering molecules into targeted cells May 22nd, 2013
How Gold Nanoparticles Can Help Fight Ovarian Cancer May 21st, 2013
MU Researchers Develop Radioactive Nanoparticles that Target Cancer Cells: This is an early step toward developing therapies for metastasized cancers, MU scientist says May 21st, 2013
Nanobiotechnology
Bacterial spare parts filter antibiotic residue from groundwater May 22nd, 2013
Single-Cell Transfection Tool Enables Added Control for Biological Studies: McCormick researchers develop method of delivering molecules into targeted cells May 22nd, 2013
Researchers Perform Fastest Measurements Ever Made of Ion Channel Proteins May 20th, 2013
Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013