May 7, 2013 Over 20 million people in Europe suffer from osteoarthritis which can lead to extensive damage to the knee and hip cartilage. Stem cells offer a promising way forward but a key challenge has been to design a 'smart material' that is biologically effective for cartilage tissue regeneration. Now researchers have identified a blend of naturally occurring fibres such as cellulose and silk that makes progress towards affordable and effective cell-based therapy for cartilage repair a step closer. The EPSRC-funded study, published in Biomacromolecules and undertaken by University of Bristol researchers, explored the feasibility of using natural fibres such as silk and cellulose as stem cell scaffolds -- the matrix to which stem cells can cling to as they grow. Both cellulose and silk are commonly used in textiles but the researchers demonstrated an unexpected use for the two natural polymers when mixed with stem cells. The team treated blends of silk and cellulose for use as a tiny scaffold that allows adult connective tissue stem cells to form into preliminary form of chondrocytes -- the cells that make healthy tissue cartilage -- and secrete extracellular matrix similar to natural cartilage. Dr Wael Kafienah, lead author from the … Continue reading →

MagForce AG / MagForce AG Receives Further Patent Related to NanoTherm(R) Therapy . Processed and transmitted by Thomson Reuters ONE. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. -- European patent granted for nanoparticle-drug conjugates -- MagForce further expands patent portfolio Berlin, Germany, May 7, 2013 - MagForce AG (Frankfurt, XETRA: MF6), a leading medical technology company in the field of nanomedicine in oncology, announced today that the Company has been granted a further European patent for its NanoTherm(R) therapy, for which the opposition period has now expired. Patent EP 1871423 B1 relates to a new generation of NanoTherm(R) particles in the form of nanoparticle-drug conjugates, which are suitable for drug delivery systems. Nanoparticle-drug conjugates inside a tumor can be heated selectively by an alternating magnetic field leading to a temperature-dependent release of the drug inside the tumor tissue producing a high local drug concentration. Additionally the known synergistic effects of chemotherapy in combination with hyperthermia can be utilized. "The locally limited and externally controllable drug release by means of the now patent-protected conjugates is expected to clearly reduce the mostly considerable side-effects of conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Combining thermotherapy with nanoparticle-bound chemotherapy could also substantially increase the … Continue reading →

European patent granted for nanoparticle-drug conjugates MagForce further expands patent portfolio Berlin, Germany, May 7, 2013 - MagForce AG (Frankfurt, XETRA: MF6), a leading medical technology company in the field of nanomedicine in oncology, announced today that the Company has been granted a further European patent for its NanoTherm therapy, for which the opposition period has now expired. Patent EP 1871423 B1 relates to a new generation of NanoTherm particles in the form of nanoparticle-drug conjugates, which are suitable for drug delivery systems. Nanoparticle-drug conjugates inside a tumor can be heated selectively by an alternating magnetic field leading to a temperature-dependent release of the drug inside the tumor tissue producing a high local drug concentration. Additionally the known synergistic effects of chemotherapy in combination with hyperthermia can be utilized. "The locally limited and externally controllable drug release by means of the now patent-protected conjugates is expected to clearly reduce the mostly considerable side-effects of conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Combining thermotherapy with nanoparticle-bound chemotherapy could also substantially increase the effectiveness of the chemotherapeutic agent in tumor treatment and reduce the number of nanoparticles required to destroy the cancer cells," commented Prof. Dr. Hoda Tawfik, COO and co-CEO of MagForce. "We are very … Continue reading →

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Is nanomedicine the next big thing? A growing number of top drug companies seem to think so. The ability to encapsulate potent drugs in tiny particles measuring billionths of a meter in diameter is opening up new options for super-accurate drug delivery, increasing precision hits at the site of disease with, hopefully, fewer side effects. Three deals struck this year by privately held Bind Therapeutics, together worth nearly $1 billion if experiments are successful, highlight a new interest in using such tiny carriers to deliver drug payloads to specific locations in the body. U.S.-based Bind is one of several biotechnology firms that are luring large pharmaceutical makers with a range of smart drug nanotechnologies, notably against cancer. And nanomedicine is also being put to work in diagnosis, with tiny particles used to improve imaging in scanners, as well as rapidly detecting some serious infections. In future, researchers hope to combine both treatment and diagnostics in a new approach dubbed "theranostics" that would allow doctors to monitor patients via their medicines. After much hype but limited clinical success, scientists in the nanotechnology field finally see a turning point. "We have been hearing about the promise … Continue reading →