'Smart' nanoprobes light up disease
Researchers from Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) have developed a "smart" beacon hundreds of times smaller than a human cell that is programmed to light up only when activated by specific proteases. Altered expression of particular proteases is a common hallmark of cancer, atherosclerosis, and many other diseases. In the September issue of th...UC Davis researchers use heated nanoprobes to destroy breast cancer cells in mice
In experiments with laboratory mice that bear aggressive human breast cancers, UC Davis researchers have used hot nanoprobes to slow the growth of tumors -- without damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The researchers describe their work in the March issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. "We have demonstrated that the system is feasible in laboratory mice. The next step will be clinic...