NanomedicineCenter.com

Newly found gene plays important role in cancer

It’s been known for a longer period of time that the gene p53 is the most important gene as far as cancer research is concerned. However, researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden have discovered a new gene called Wrap53, which appears to control the activity of p53.

What does p53 do? It simply controls the repair process of cells with damaged DNA. Now, if p53 itself is damaged, cells that are on their way to become cancerous are allowed to survive.

Scientists from Sweden, led by Marianne Farnebo, have shown that cancer occurs if the Wrap53 gets damaged.
“Mutations in the p53 gene contribute to about half of all cancer cases,” said Dr Farnebo. “In the remaining half, p53 is probably inactivated in other ways, such as damage to Wrap53 knocking out the production of the p53 protein.”

This study is also one of the first ones that shows how antisense RNA regulates genes in the human body. “At least 20 per cent of all genes can be regulated by antisense RNA, making it a potentially very common control mechanism,” says Dr Farnebo. “But it’s been difficult to show that antisense RNA really does serve important functions in the body, as we have managed to do in this study.”

The details are published in the journal Molecular Cell.

Adopted from materials found at ki.se

Nanoparticles can activate neurons wirelessly?

When the brain tissue gets injured, doctors tend to implant electrodes in the brain. These electrodes’ job is to send electric signals and help the recovery process. The disadvantage of this process is that the electrodes need to be implanted surgically. However, it seems that all this will be possible to do wirelessly.

Researchers from Cleveland, Ohio have developed a new technique which might allow doctors to activate neurons wirelessly using microscopic beads and light. This method has been already tried on slices of rat brain tissue — scientists first placed tiny beads (about 10nm wide). Of course, beads are made of semiconductors which get electrically excited when light shines on them.
“Essentially, these are the same particles used to sensitize solar cells,” said Clemens Burda, one of the researchers. The illuminated particles produce an electric field or current that activates the neurons, which respond with their own measurable electrical signals. Scientists that worked on this project attached the nanoparticles to a tiny glass micropipette to make it easier to position the particles.

This technique is of huge importance, because it’s got many advantages over the methods that are currently used. Surgery, large electrodes and wires in this process could be history.
“It’s very invasive and the wires themselves are difficult to deal with,” said Ben Strowbridge, one of the researchers. “There’s really no other technology that can do that with this degree of control or spatial resolution.”

This method has to go through numerous tests before it can actually be applied to humans, but it looks promising so far.

The details are published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Relation between nanotechnology and food

Nanotechnology is everywhere around us, although we aren’t aware of it all the time. Many companies (cosmetics, food) use nanotechnology standards in order to improve their products, but don’t really talk publicly about it.

Nanotechnology is widely used in the food industry. If we put aside the “possible toxicity of nanoparticles” factor, nanotechnology standards can offer significant benefits to the society. Here is ten of them.

1. Bacteria identification and elimination — Scientists have developed a method which allows nano-carbohydrate particles to bind with bacteria, thus detecting and eliminating them.

2. Enhance the flavor — Our tongue’s sensors detect the taste of what we consume. Now, scientists have developed a way to trick the tongue by bitter blockers or sweet and salty enhancers.

3. Set the texture — Nanocrystals and lipids significantly improve food spreadability and stability for better low-fat foods.

4. Track, trace and protect — Scientists from California have created nanobarcodes from nanoparticles that contain silver and gold stripes, thus improving tagging individual products and tracing outbreaks.

5. Reducing pesticides — By using a cloth saturated with nanofibers slowly releases pesticides, thus eliminating the need for additional spraying and reducing chemical leakage into the water supply.

6. Green packaging — In order to create antimicrobial and biodegradable nanofibers, scientists have used lobster shells and organic corn.

7. Improved nutrients delivery — In order to significantly improve the solubility of vitamins, healthy omega oils and antioxidants, scientists have nano-encapsulated them.

8. Enhancing food storage — In order to keep the food fresh, scientists have created Nano-barriers which are able to keep the oxygen “away”.

9. “Kill microbes” packaging — Scientists have developed food films that are made out of nano particles of zinc or calcium are able to kill bacteria.

10. Sense the contamination — Scientists developed a device which allows us to detect a E. coli by just a laser.

Adapted from materials found at Discovery.com