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TECHFIND - BIOTECH
Smart Capsule
University scientists have developed a smart gold nanocage covered with a polymer that can act as an effective drug delivery system. The nanocage is filled with a medicinal substance, such as a chemotherapy drug or bactericide. The cage releases carefully titrated amounts of a drug only near the tissue that is the drug's intended target, thus maximizing the drug's beneficial effects while minimizing its side effects. It's actually the absorption component that the scientists exploit to open and close the nanocages. The polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and its derivatives has what's called a critical temperature and when it reaches this temperature it undergoes a transformation called a phase change. If the temperature is lower than the critical temperature, the polymer chains are water-loving and stand out from the cage like brushes. The brushes seal the cage’s pores and prevent its cargo from leaking out. On the other hand, if the temperature is above the critical temperature, the polymer chains shun water, shrink together and collapse. As they shrink, the pores of the cage open, and its contents flood out.
Media Spiders®
University scientists have developed a smart gold nanocage covered with a polymer that can act as an effective drug delivery system. The nanocage is filled with a medicinal substance, such as a chemotherapy drug or bactericide. The cage releases carefully titrated amounts of a drug only near the tissue that is the drug's intended target, thus maximizing the drug's beneficial effects while minimizing its side effects. It's actually the absorption component that the scientists exploit to open and close the nanocages. The polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and its derivatives has what's called a critical temperature and when it reaches this temperature it undergoes a transformation called a phase change. If the temperature is lower than the critical temperature, the polymer chains are water-loving and stand out from the cage like brushes. The brushes seal the cage’s pores and prevent its cargo from leaking out. On the other hand, if the temperature is above the critical temperature, the polymer chains shun water, shrink together and collapse. As they shrink, the pores of the cage open, and its contents flood out.
