NanomedicineCenter.com

How to prevent foot odour

If you are having problems with foot odour (smelly feet), nanotechnology/nanomedicine market has the best possible solution – nanosocks.

Russian researcher Vladimir Rudenov has found a cure for smelly feet. He claims that he has developed socks whose fibers contain silver nanoparticles. The silver kills most of the bacteria who produce the odour. Apart from „killing“ the smell, these socks also prevent athlete’s foot, itching and heel cracks. They look exactly the same as ordinary socks.

The socks have been tested by ordinary people, sportspeople, soldiers and showed amazing results. The prices are quite low – you get one pair for around US$15.

Nanoparticles and light destroy tumor cells

Researchers at the University of Virginia have discovered a method for destroying tumor cells by using nanoparticles and light. Wensha Yang’s technique is actually dealing with quantum dots. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanoforms which can emit light when exposed to radiation (ultra-violet). The researchers also discovered that the light is being emitted when exposed to x-rays (cancer therapy). That’s why this method is great for treating cancer.

Photofrin (approved by FDA) is the compound which acts as photosensitizer. It gets absorbed by cancer cells. When those cells get exposed to light, the compound becomes active and kills the cancer cells.

Yang has described this method in his talk called “Enhanced Energy Transfer From Mega-Voltage Radiation to the Tumor Cell Killing Singlet Oxygen by Semiconductive Nanoparticles”  which took place on Tuesday, July 29, 2008.

MIT – Cells infected with malaria research

Two very advanced microscopy techniques have been used to show how the malaria parasite attacks red blood cells. Images that have been taken by researchers show that the red blod cells’ memrane becomes „weak“ (proteins from the parasite come to the cells’ membrane and make them stiffer). Hemoglobin also gets destroyed, which is a crucial component of the oxygen transfer.

Michael Feld, the head of George Harrison Spectostropy Laboratory said the following: „By studying the way the cell membrane vibrations progressively change as the malaria parasite matures inside the cell, we can study the changes in its mechanical, elastic and dynamic properties.”

The vibrations that occur are very hard to research – they are so small to measure (nano level).

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Singapore-MIT ARTC.