The impact of nanotechnology on medicine in the next 20 years will be explored at the next meeting of the Bath Science Café, tonight (Monday 8 October) at the Raven pub, Bath.
Professor Paul Rees from Swansea University’s School of Engineering, will talk about nanoparticles – particles as small as a virus – can be designed to interact with DNA and proteins within living cells.
Currently, the pharmaceutical market is facing many challenges and is therefore very receptive to the use of new technologies. However, from its discovery to the marketing of a new drug, this process can take as long as 20 years and cost billions of dollars. Pharmaceutical companies are now looking to nanotechnology to find the next generation of therapeutics.
Professor Rees said: “Nanoparticles are being designed which can hunt out specific areas within the body, such as a tumour, and then deliver a therapeutic in a controlled manner significantly reducing the side effects of the treatment. Similar particles have also been shown to be able to deliver DNA to the nucleus of a cell therefore making them candidates for gene therapy agents.
“New applications of these particles also include medical imaging at a scale unprecedented in medicine which will allow us to develop new ways to identify rare cells such as stem cells.”
The talk will be held in The Raven pub in Queen Street in the centre of Bath. No tickets or reservations are required – just turn up at 7.30pm for an 8pm start.
Organisers will ask for a small voluntary donation to cover travel costs for the speakers.
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