A technology developed by labseed, an EPFL spin-off, could prevent most breast implant rejections. The final product should be commercially available as early as 2013.

More than a quarter of all breast implants must be removed within four years, because neighboring tissues develop a rigid envelope of fibrous tissue to protect themselves from the foreign body. Labseed, a start-up company based in the Science Park in Ecublens, has developed a protective covering made up of a nanostructured surface and a layer of collagen that will prevent the body from rejecting the implant.

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The [Indian] government is planning to set up a nanotechnology park in Bangalore in the financial year 2012-13 to give an impetus to the technology and will soon constitute an expert committee. The park is likely to be featured at the proposed Information Technology Investment Region at Devanahalli An initial grant of Rs20 crore has been proposed to develop it on public-private-partnership model on 25 acres.

The aim of the park is to popularise the use of nanotechnology, touted as a gamechanger in fields as diverse as electronics, automobile technology and healthcare.

A nano-incubation centre will be set up at the park. Itsaim will be enabling research and development. It will offer facilities for R&D on a rental basis to make research more accessible.

An advanced laboratory would be set up. Also, it will seek to support new and small companies attain their business goals and achieve a good growth rate.

Further, to provide business opportunity as well as to familiarise students, scholars and public with the concept of nanoscience, an exhibition centre of international standards will be set up at the park.

Educating bureaucratsBesides promoting research in the field, the S&T department plans to give training to bureaucrats as it believes this would make it easier to promote nanotechnology in the state. Workshops and seminars will be held in this regard. Also, technicians will be trained in the technology to cater to the needs of the industry, which is still in a nascent stage.

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Nanodiamonds designed to toughen artificial joints also might prevent the inflammation caused when hardworking metal joints shed debris into the body, according to an early study published this week in the journal Acta Biomaterialia.

Diamond coatings may end the shedding of metal debris, but the constant grinding force within joints can cause even nanodiamonds to shed some particles. Past studies suggest that diamonds shed less debris and smaller particles; but, with applications emerging in drug delivery and bio-imaging, the consequences of particle build-up in organs needs to be known.

Based on the way nanodiamonds interact with macrophages in a dish, the study authors suggest that the usual size and concentration of wear debris should cause neither inflammation nor toxicity. The macrophages that engulf smaller nanodiamonds release fewer inflammatory chemicals than those encountering larger particles shed by the metal and polymer surfaces of conventional implants.

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AUSTIN, Texas — A new form of proteins discovered by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin could drastically improve treatments for cancer and other diseases, as well as overcome some of the largest challenges in therapeutics: delivering drugs to patients safely, easily and more effectively.

The research, led by Johnston, Chemical Engineering Professor Thomas Truskett and Assistant Professor Jennifer Maynard, was published online recently ahead of a print version to appear soon in the ACS Nano journal.

The Cockrell School research team has introduced a new physical form of proteins, whereby proteins are packed into highly concentrated, nanometer-sized clusters that can pass through a needle into a patient to treat disease. The novel composition avoids the pitfalls of previous attempts because drug proteins are clustered so densely that they don’t unfold or form dangerous aggregates.

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