Nanoparticles Cross Blood-Brain Barrier to Enable 'Brain Tumor Painting'

In an effort to differentiate cancerous brain cells from healthy brain cells, researchers at the University of Washington have recently developed a nanoparticle that is not only able to do the nearly impossible task of crossing the blood-brain barrier, but is also able to mark these cells with an infrared dye to make imaging the boundaries of the tumor more precise. This dye makes the tumor more visible in contrast to the normal tissue of the brain. Previous nanoparticles were too large to directly cross the blood brain barrier so drugs would be used to open the barrier enough for the nanoparticle to cross. The nanoparticle from this article remained small when wet. Ultimately, the application of this nanoparticle could help treat brain tumors with minimal invasiveness to surrounding tissue.

This particular article interested me since it covered both nanoparticles which we'd recently discussed in class, and since it deals with the brain which is arguably one of the most complex organs in the body. It shows the potential increasing role that nanoparticles will have in medical diagnosis of illnesses. It deals with curing a disease that affects many people. Through the nanoparticles, there is great potential to learn about the brain and the progression of brain tumors.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185714.htm

Michael Kosh