Novel chemistry amplifies ability of nanoparticles to detect rare cells
Friday, September 17, 2010 - 08:14
in Physics & Chemistry
One of the most promising characteristics of nanoparticles as diagnostic agents is the ability to attach to the nanoparticles surface any of a wide variety of targeting molecules that can increase the distinction between malignant and healthy cells, making it easier to spot small numbers of diseased cells within a sea of healthy cells. However, the development of such targeted nanoparticles has been hampered by the need to optimize the chemical methods used to link the targeting molecule to the nanoparticle for each unique combination of the two.