( Leading laser scientists at the Univers...)New methods of gene delivery using lasers

Optical technology has huge potential for novel developments in the bio-medical field and St Andrews has outstanding research groups in this area. The new method -which involves a miniature violet laser -is cheap, simple, powerful and versatile. Its adaptability means it could have potentially wide medical applications including gene therapy, the delivery of anti-cancer agents and advanced studies of neuro-degenerative diseases.

The development, published today, is the work of a team of researchers from across the University ?with key figures from the School of Physics and Astronomy, the School of Biology and The Bute Medical School.

Key researchers Lynn Paterson and Ben Agate of the School of Physics and Astronomy said:

“We believe we have only touched the surface with this technology: the method is simple and inexpensive and could have important bio-medical implications and should find wide use. Since it also has the potential to assist in the cellular delivery of other bio-molecules, we are now looking at other cell types to see how widely applicable the method proves to be.?/p>

The study is part of a new interdisciplinary initiative funded by SHEFC (Scottish Higher Education Funding Council) and the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) which aims to use light to enhance our understanding of biology and to develop new biomedical devices. Although other research groups have touched on this area, the St Andrews group have greatly simplified the technique by using an extremely simple and versatile miniature violet laser which is compatible with standard microscopes. The method is very powerful, and in contrast to other methods the team can select ind
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Source:http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk

Thanks to News-Medical Net