Tropes

R_www.medgadget.com 2015 00607.txt.txt

#Nanoparticles Penetrate Mucus Barrier to Bring Gene therapy to Lung Parenchyma A collaboration between researchers at Johns hopkins university and Federal University of Rio de janeiro in Brazil has managed to develop nanoparticles capable of carrying DNA molecules through the previously impenetrable mucus barrier of the lungs. The technology may have significant implication for patients with COPD, cystic fibrosis, and other conditions affecting the lungs by offering the ability for gene therapy to be delivered directly into pulmonary tissue through inhalation. The nanoparticles are biodegradable and don present problems associated with DNA ferrying viruses. Previously developed nanoparticles suffered from a poor ability to pass through mucus due to their charge and also bunched in groups, further limiting their usefulness. The nanoparticles are made of biodegradable polymers called poly (ß-amino esters)( PBAES) and in lab tests were able to pass through mucus taken from real patients. To test whether genes delivered this way would actually work inside a real body, the researchers loaded DNA strings coding for light producing proteins into the nanoparticles and had animals inhale them into their lungs. The team then looked at the animal lungs and saw the light producing proteins create a glow that lasted for up to four months after a single administration, demonstrating the effectiveness of the technology e

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