Longevity science

Developed by scientists at the University of California, San Diego, these tiny sponges mimic red blood cells, and are able to soak up lethal toxins – including snake venom and bacteria – from the bloodstream.

The nanosponges are made up of a biocompatible polymer core, which is coated with segments of the host’s red blood cell membranes. That coating fools the immune system into identifying the sponges as the body’s own blood cells, so it doesn’t attack them. Because each nanosponge is 3,000 times smaller than a red blood cell, the harvested membrane of one cell provides enough material to coat thousands of sponges.

Newly-developed nanoparticles are able to emit light through up to three centimeters of biological tissue.

Scientists have developed photoluminescent nanoparticles that are able to shine through over three centimeters (1.2 inches) of biological tissue. If attached to anomalies deep beneath the skin, the nanoparticles could allow those anomalies to be seen more clearly from the outside.

While effective at killing cancer cells, chemotherapy is currently a shotgun approach that can also harm healthy cells and cause serious side effects in patients.

The ability to deliver drugs directly into cancer cells would provide a more targeted approach to more effectively treat the disease with lower doses of drugs and less side effects.

Researchers at Northwestern University are claiming to be the first to develop gold nanostars that provide a much more precise approach by delivering a drug directly to a cancer cell’s nucleus.

Manchester scientists have developed a tiny molecular machine that mirrors the function of the ribosome, which builds the proteins in our body's cells.

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The ultimate goal is to synthesize new drug molecules or new types of plastic.

Researchers at the University of Florida have created nanorobots that can attack the very mechanism of viral replication.

It acts on a cellular level as a tiny particle destroys the mechanism that reproduces the proteins related to the disease 9in this case, hep C).

Researchers have now reported that the use of quantum dots - tiny luminescent crystals that can be used to monitor disease at a cellular level - appears to be safe in primates over a one-year period.

"Researchers at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital have developed a new category of non-toxic, protein-based green nanoparticles that can non-invasively cross the blood brain barrier and transport various types of drugs."

The particles "crossed and/or bypassed the blood-brain barrier without enhancers or modifications, unlike other nanoparticles. These findings open the door to exploring..."