Nano-hitchhikers to deliver drugs
Another research team has found a way to use nanotechnology to deliver drugs. As you may know, polymeric nanoparticles are excellent carriers for delivering drugs. But as they are quickly removed from the blood, they are somewhat ineffective for the task. Now, researchers from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) have found that ‘nanoparticles can be forced to remain in the circulation when attached to red blood cells.’ In other words, these nanoparticles hitchhike on red blood cells. Apparently, these nanoparticles could stay with their hosts for their life time — about 120 days. So this could lead to new treatments for cancer or heart disease. But stay tuned, because this technique only works in the lab right now. read story