A Medical Device Daily

On the day of its official inauguration, the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI; Los Angeles) at UCLA and NanoPacific Holdings, (Los Angeles) reported a partnership to commercialize a mechanized nanoparticle-based technology that could mean prolonged lives of enhanced quality for millions of cancer sufferers.

NPH will receive an exclusive license to key intellectual property owned by UCLA and developed within the Nano Machine Center (NMC) at the CNSI. The newly formed company will provide funding for further research to be performed in the NMC to broaden the scope of the technology in order to encompass a diverse range of applications.

The first application which will be pursued under the partnership will be aimed at targeting the delivery of known, trusted and FDA-approved chemotherapeutic agents in much reduced doses to cancer cells. Because of their unique properties, these mechanized nanoparticles can be pre-programmed to seek out cancer cells specifically while sparing other rapidly growing cells (e.g., hair follicles and stomach linings) in the body from highly undesirable side effects, such as hair loss and chronic diarrhea. In addition, these robotic-like nanoparticles will enable the triggered release of cancer drugs that are presently difficult to administer intravenously to patients because of their low solubilities in the blood stream. Significant applications of the new technology are also anticipated in other major commercial arenas, for example, scent and cosmetics, food products, environmental remediation, construction materials, and defense.

The delivery mechanism consists of porous nanoparticles, capable of storing and selectively releasing small drug molecules via nanoscale gates that can be opened and closed at will on the surface of the nanoparticles. In this way drugs can be loaded and unloaded in a selective manner in different environments. By equipping the nanoparticle surfaces with specific tags to preferentially target cancer cells, diseased cells can be destroyed selectively without affecting healthy ones, thus reducing drug toxicity dramatically. The concept is a simple one that is open to infinite variation.

The California NanoSystems Institute fosters interdisciplinary collaborations in nanoscience and nanotechnology research and facilitates partnerships with private industry.

NanoPacific Holdings is solely focused on the development and commercialization of nano technology emerging from its strategic relationship with UCLA/CNSI.

In other agreements: Healthcare group purchasing organization Amerinet (St. Louis) has entered into an agreement with Acusis (Pittsburgh) to provide medical transcription services effective immediately for the next three years.

This agreement provides nationwide Amerinet members complete Acusis medical transcription service solutions including implementation, set-up and training, software technology and full integration with members' health information management systems.

Acusis is a provider of outsourced medical transcription services.