Researchers have created tiny ‘microbots’ that are able to move and react in a fashion similar to bacteria, according to a report from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Bacteria use flagella to move, directed by stimuli like sources of light or the earth’s magnetic field. Researchers have developed synthetic microrobots with motility and phototaxis, […]
Research & Development
Nobel chemistry prize goes to molecular machinery
A group of European scientists won the 2016 Nobel Prize for chemistry for developing the “world’s smallest machines,” which could be used to revolutionize drug delivery. Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard Feringer claimed the $931,000 prize (8 million Swedish crowns) for work that Feringer described as having “endless” potential, according to Reuters. “Think of a […]
QuiO raises $1m for smart injection device
QuiO said last week that it closed a $1.05 million seed round led by undisclosed investors to finish developing its smart injection device, prep for pilot studies and an FDA 510(k) submission. The New York-based company is developing a smart injection device and software to monitor patient adherence to clinical trial and daily regimens. Average […]
Self-selecting peptides hold promise for drug delivery
Researchers developed self-selecting polymers that form by adapting to their environment, according to a study published yesterday in Nature Nanotechnology. The peptides continually reorganize their sequences to form polymers most suited to their environment, instead of researchers designing polymers to fit their surroundings or relying on chance discovery. “In our quest to find materials based on […]
Hospital researchers explore MRI for drug delivery
Researchers have programmed an MRI scanner to simultaneously monitor magnetized particles while propelling them through blood vessels as a means to locally deliver drugs. Existing approaches combine the magnetic force from an MRI scanner with the force produced by particle collisions. But traditionally, it’s challenging to image using the MRI scanner and propel the particles […]
Magnetic bacteria holds promise for drug delivery in cancer therapies
Researchers from the Polytechnique Montreal NanoRobotics Laboratory showed that magnetic bacteria can be used as a vehicle for cancer-fighting drugs. The study, funded in part by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering, was published in the August 2016 issue of Nature Nanotechnology. Traditional drug-delivery techniques using nanoparticles have a hard time fully penetrating […]
Microchip mimics human cells for drug trials
A physics professor from the University of Texas in Dallas reportedly created a microchip that mimics human cells to study the effects of cancer-fighting drugs. Jason Slinker, who started working on the chip in 2007 as a postdoctoral researcher, in 2010 began collaborating with David Boothman, an oncology professor at the University of Texas Southwestern […]
Minnesota doc creates $50 EpiPen alternative
A Minnesota doctor reportedly created a $50 EpiPen alternative and is trying to raise money to bring it to patients. Dr. Douglas McMahon, who has severe food allergies, told CBS Minnesota that he was hesitant to carry his EpiPen because it was so bulky. As a certified allergy specialist, McMahon began constructing an alternative in his […]
High-capacity nanoparticle holds potential for targeted cancer therapies
Chemists from the Mass. Institute of Technology developed a nanoparticle that they can pack with 3 or more drugs to create custom combination therapies for cancer, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The team also revealed that cisplatin, a powerful anti-cancer drug, doesn’t work using the […]
AstraZeneca, Bespak ink deal for metered-dose inhaler
AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) said last week that it inked a multi-year commercial supply deal with Consort Medical (LON:CSRT) subsidiary Bespak for its pressurized metered-dose inhaler technology. Bespak will supply inhaler valves and actuators for use with AstraZeneca’s inhaled aerosol treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. AstraZeneca won FDA approval in April for the aerosol, Bevespi Aerosphere […]