Home > Press > Nanotools Designed for Surgical Recovery: Recent work published by Professor David Smith’s research group has reported new nano-systems which may eventually help patients recovering from surgery
Abstract:
There is no doubt that the skill of surgeons plays a remarkable role in transforming the lives of hospital patients - from seriously injured victims of road traffic accidents to the recipients of heart and lung transplants. However, without the use of a range of different chemical drugs, surgeons would not be able to operate. One important drug is heparin, which thins the blood and allows surgeons to operate without clotting taking place. However, once surgery is finished, it is essential to remove the heparin and allow clotting to occur so the patient can recover. This is currently done by giving the patient a second drug, protamine. However, because protamine is a natural product arising from shellfish, some patients exhibit serious allergic responses.
Nanotools Designed for Surgical Recovery: Recent work published by Professor David Smith’s research group has reported new nano-systems which may eventually help patients recovering from surgery
Heslington, UK | Posted on April 26th, 2011
In their recent work, published in Angewandte Chemie, the Smith group have developed synthetic molecules which are capable of binding heparin. These molecules are designed to self-assemble into nanometre-sized structures with similar dimensions to protamine and containing multiple heparin binding units. It was shown that these nanosystems could bind to heparin just as effectively as protamine. ‘Clearly there is lots of fundamental work still to be done before clinical application,' says Smith, ‘but we hope that this approach may eventually yield biocompatible and degradable heparin binders, which will help surgical recovery without any of the side effects which can be caused by protamine'.
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Department of Chemistry
University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
Tel: work 44 01904 322511
Fax: fax 44 01904 322516
Copyright © University of York
If you have a comment, please
Contact us.
Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
News and information
Nano-needles for cells May 25th, 2013
How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013
Nanomedicine
Nano-needles for cells May 25th, 2013
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
Discoveries
Nano-needles for cells May 25th, 2013
How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 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
Announcements
Nano-needles for cells May 25th, 2013
How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013