Scientists from University of Missouri-Columbia report developing a micro device, that they call “an advanced drug delivery system, the state-of-the art device [that] has numerous capabilities for destroying tumors, kidney stones and ulcers, and treating cancer and HIV.” In other words, it is the universal clinical modality.
What is it all about? We are not really sure. This is how the press office at the University of Missouri-Columbia describes the technology:
Similar to other nano/micro-scale devices by Gangopadhyay [Shubhra Gangopadhyay, an electrical and computer engineering professor in the College of Engineering and head of the University of Missouri-Columbia’s International Center for Nano/Micro Systems and Nanotechnology –ed.], this one also operates on a “dual-use” platform, which powers alternative energy and munitions systems for the U.S. military. By incorporating microchip-based technology with nanotechnology, Gangopadhyay fuses both technologies to trigger a reaction resulting in supersonic shockwaves. For medical purposes, those shockwaves, along with nanoparticles, propagate into the body to make infected cells permeable for drug interaction. The device allows for a non-invasive procedure that utilizes the body’s pores as entry points.
Other usages include:
– The dispersing of drug-carrying nanoparticles, referred to as nanosponge, into the body. Such sponges can target specific cells and areas that have been affected by disease.
– The delivery of gold nanoparticles, a florescent material, into the body. By attaching to infected cells, the unique particles can allow doctors to track drug movement and the spread of disease throughout the body.
Press release: MU Engineers Develop Micro Device and Nano-Engineered Materials to Treat Cancer and HIV …
Unedited B-roll video (Windows Media format) of the device and laboratory where it is developed…