2012-02-08 Nanotechnology in medicine - the next scientific revolution |
Application of nanotechnology in medicine is one of the potentially fruitful directions in modern research. However, there several major obstacles, which must be first resolved. One of such obstacles would be a controlled synthesis of miniscule nano-capsules, which contain active
ingredients and would make possible a triggered release at the right moment in the right place. Liposomes have been used for controlled delivery of active ingredients with limited success. With the
discovery of synthetic polymeric analogs of liposomes, polymerosomes, researchers have obtained an advanced tool for nanofabrication. These materials can be functionalized, modulated and redesigned. A group of researchers led by Sébastien Lecommandoux has been developing "intelligent" polymersomes over past 10 years. In a recent article (Maïté Marguet, Lise Edembe, Sébastien Lecommandoux. Polymersomes in Polymersomes: Multiple Loading and Permeability Control. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2012; v.51 p.1173) this group has developed an original method for mimicking a cell compartments by constructing a nanovesicles from polymerosome vectors encapsulated in a larger polymerosomes. For this
a novel highly effective centrifugation/emulsification protocol was used. Then, by using fluorescent markers authors have demonstrated that encapsulation of polymerosome vectors within polymerosomes had
occurred.
By controlling compartmentalization the authors had demonstrated that it was possible to encapsulate two different vectors within a single polymerosome. This method has a direct potential for use in oncology for controlled delivery of incompatible drugs in a single vector.
The next step for this nanotechnological approach will be to enforce a controlled release of polymerosome vectors.
Source: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Nanotechnology in medicine - the next scientific revolution
