The Miracle of Micelles

Up until now, synthetic micelles - nanospheres that can be used to deliver drugs into the body - have only been regarded as a vehicle for treatment and not as a treatment themselves. However, a recent study by Purdue University has shown that these micelles can actually repair nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries. This discovery is so surprising because micelles have been used for over thirty years without anyone considering that they can act as the actual medicine.

These micelles work by acting like "membrane sealing agents". They target specific damaged tissue and seal the damaged area, even returning the function of the cell. This can be compared to the function of another popular membrane sealing agent, polyethylene glycol (PEG). However, unlike PEG, micelles aren't filtered easily by the kidneys or liver because they are so small. Therefore, a much smaller concentration of micelles is needed than of PEG to accomplish the same task because they stay in circulation longer. It is also shown that micelles allow for a 60% recovery of nerve function, compared to PEGs 18% record.

This article really caught my interest because spinal injuries are a major concern. These injuries are hard to recover from and may result in permanent damage because neurons and nerves are so difficult to heal. If more research is done on micelles, there might be a way in the near future to prevent life-changing injuries in spinal injury victims.

Sandhya Ramesh
VTPP 434-501

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