Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Making organs transparent to improve nanomedicine (video)

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Abstract:
Treating a disease without causing side effects is one of the big promises of nanoparticle technology. But fulfilling it remains a challenge. One of the obstacles is that researchers have a hard time seeing where nanoparticles go once they're inside various parts of the body. But now one team has developed a way to help overcome this problem -- by making tissues and organs clearer in the lab. Their study on mice appears in the journal ACS Nano.

Making organs transparent to improve nanomedicine (video)

Washington, DC | Posted on May 13th, 2016

Scientists are trying to design nanoparticles that deliver a therapeutic cargo directly to a disease site. This specific targeting could help avoid the nasty side effects that patients feel when a drug goes to heathy areas in the body. But barriers, such as blood vessel walls, can divert particles from reaching their intended destination. To get around such obstacles, scientists need a better understanding of how nanoparticles interact with structures inside the body. Current techniques, however, are limited. Warren C. W. Chan and colleagues wanted to develop a method to better track where nanoparticles go within tissues.

The researchers injected an acrylamide hydrogel into organs and tissues removed from mice. The gel linked all of the molecules together, except for the lipids, which are responsible for making tissues appear opaque. The lipids easily washed away, leaving the tissues clear but otherwise intact. Using this technique, the researchers could image nanoparticles at a depth of more than 1 millimeter, which is 25 times deeper than existing methods. In addition to helping scientists understand how nanoparticles interact with tumors and organs, the new approach could also contribute to tissue engineering, implant and biosensor applications, say the researchers.

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The researchers acknowledge funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

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About American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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Contacts:
Michael Bernstein

202-872-6042

Warren C. W. Chan, Ph.D.
Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada

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