Nano-particle carries anti-cancer drug and releases it only in the cancerous cell
In what is being considered a path-breaking innovation, a scientist hailing from Hyderabad and his colleagues have invented a system in which a nano-particle carries the payload of anti-cancer drug and releases it only in the cancerous cell, thus protecting healthy cells around.
The cutting-edge research done in the United States has been patented recently.
The nanotechnology scientist, Rao Papineni, told this correspondent on the phone from the U.S. that the patent application received approval (patent no. US 8,202,544 B2) on June 19.
Dr. Papineni, chief scientist and senior principal investigator in medical applications of nanotechnology at Carestream Health, Inc USA, along with his fellow researchers, filed for the patent in 2009.
“This patent will potentially change the way radiation is administered. It will improve localisation and monitoring of tumour and will help in highly targeted delivery of drugs to kill cancer cells,” he said.
Together with Alan Pollack, chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Miami, Dr. Papineni has been exploring the ability of nano-particles as a targeted drug carrier. “In rough terms, nano-particles are like payload delivery vehicles that can enhance… damage to cancer tissues and simultaneously reduce the toxicity of normal and healthy tissues during radiation treatment.”
“The title of the patent is ‘High Capacity Non-Viral Vectors.’ The non-viral vectors are nano-particles. The nano-particles will allow the drug particle to target the diseased site with pinpoint precision. The nano-particles will allow the drug to be released inside the diseased cell. They will enhance the function of the drug… Our nano-particles will carry the… drug precisely with minimal collateral damage to healthy tissue,” Dr. Papineni said.
Keywords: cancer research Rao Papineni
How is he an "Indian scientist" if he is US citizen. A more exact titel would be American scientist of Indian origin...
If an Indian working abroad gets some success what is there to be so proud of? Indians are as intelligent or otherwise as any other people and given right conditions some of them will get success as any other people. Yes! congratulations to the scientist but it does not make me any prouder or otherwise to be an Indian.
congrats to Mr. Rao and his entire team. But,it is also the time to ponder that why can't such resarch and discovery be done in India ? why an Indian has to leave his motherland in the pursuit of excellence and significance? why do we treat our scientists as second rate citizens and our actors and cricketers as demi-gods?when will the science and scientists get their due in our nation? The sooner we find the answers and remedies to these glaring questions , the better it would be.
Congratulations to Mr.Rao Papineni for Your achievement & service to humanity.
It's a shame how all crucial life saving drugs are patented for the greed of few.
All the best to Mr.Pipaneni. Hopefully he should get a Nobel prize for medicine, for this invention.
Isn't it ethically and lawfully wrong to patent such life saving techniques. It should be his contribution to humanity. Either way I whole heartedly congratulate Dr Rao and his team on this success.
Oh. I thought you meant that a scientist in India had done it. That would indeed have been revolutionary. But it's no news that any Indian who wants to do important work in his field instead of wasting his life struggling with an utterly dysfunctional antidemocratic system gets out of India as soon as he possibly can. Any subsequent achievement of his then goes to the credit of the nation that gave him intellectual asylum, in this and most cases America, the Great imperialist evil!
Great Thank The Hindu and thank our Indian Scientist and his team on my behalf and on behalf of millions of Cancer patients suffering due to many side effects of Radiation and chemo therapy these years.
Congrats DR. Rao. We indians are proud of you and pls help our cancer patients with your invention.
A good way of usage of nano technology.
Congrats!
First and foremost I am completely flabbergasted by the report appearing herein on the issuance of US patent to some Indian guy working in the USA. Big deal! Nothing new here and people have been working on 'pay load' based mechanism (for various diseases including cancer) for the last two decades or so. One of the biggest problem for this 'exorbitant technology' is that not many patient can afford these treatment even if it works in the human. Many nano technology based medication in late clinical trials have failed because of lack of efficacy. Cost benefit analysis (assuming that the nano drug will show efficacy in clinical trials) will preclude its wider use.
This is an exciting news, that has the potential to change cancer treatment to be much more tolerable. I wish Dr. Papineni all success.
That is really great and proud to be Indian ...hats off Dr Rao. My brother deceased with colorectol cancer(he is in 3rd stage now). So does my brother can get treatment with this if yes please any one help where can he get that treatment.
Great news for us as well as for the world.
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