It has proved difficult to channel pharmaceuticals into the brain. A type of cell barrier protects the brain from pathogens and many harmful molecules. This blood-brain barrier also denies access to many therapeutic substances.
Studies have shown that nanoparticles (diameter between 10 and 1000 nm) with distinct surface properties can overcome this barrier.
At the University of Frankfurt am Main, a team headed by Prof. Dr. Jörg Kreuter is successfully working on transfering substances into the brain with the aid of microscopically small plastic spheres.
Magnetic nanoparticles could also be of use in combating cancer, as shown by the so-called magnetic liquid hyperthermia developed by Dr. Andreas Jordan and co-workers at the Charite Hospital in Berlin: Firstly, iron oxide particles are selectively transported into the carcinoma. Then, an alternating magnetic field heats the nanoparticles and thus the cancer cells, which are killed by overheating.
Studies have shown that nanoparticles (diameter between 10 and 1000 nm) with distinct surface properties can overcome this barrier.
At the University of Frankfurt am Main, a team headed by Prof. Dr. Jörg Kreuter is successfully working on transfering substances into the brain with the aid of microscopically small plastic spheres.
Magnetic nanoparticles could also be of use in combating cancer, as shown by the so-called magnetic liquid hyperthermia developed by Dr. Andreas Jordan and co-workers at the Charite Hospital in Berlin: Firstly, iron oxide particles are selectively transported into the carcinoma. Then, an alternating magnetic field heats the nanoparticles and thus the cancer cells, which are killed by overheating.
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