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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Mini-Meds"
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
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(90 seconds)
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LITTLE LIFE-SAVERS... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. IT USED TO BE THAT JUST A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR HELPED THE MEDICINE GO DOWN. FROM "TINY TIME-CAPSULES" TO PATCHES, DRUG DELIVERY INSIDE THE BODY HAS COME A LONG WAY. NOW, A PRINCETON UNIVERSITY-LED RESEARCH TEAM HAS TAKEN THE NEXT STEP--WITH A TECHNIQUE THAT USES NANO-PARTICLES TO MORE EFFECTIVELY DELIVER AND RELEASE MEDICINES. THESE ARE ULTRA-TINY BIODEGRADABLE PARTICLES--100 TIMES SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF A HUMAN HAIR; TOO BIG TO PASS THROUGH THE WALLS OF NORMAL CELLS, BUT SMALL ENOUGH TO GET THROUGH HOLES IN THE CAPILLARIES OF TUMORS--EFFECTIVELY TARGETING THEM. THEIR NOVEL PACKAGING MAKES THE PARTICLES LAST LONGER IN THE BLOODSTREAM--ALLOWING THEM TO REMAIN INTACT UNTIL THEY REACH THEIR DESTINATION. IF THESE WERE PIZZA-DELIVERY GUYS, THE OLD METHOD WOULD DELIVER PIZZAS TO EVERY HOUSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD; THIS NEW WAY MAY ALLOW US TO DELIVER CHEMO-PIES TO JUST THE HOUSES WHERE THE TUMOR CELLS LIVE. FOR NEEDLE-FREE VACCINES, THE NANO-PARTICLES COULD IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INHALED DRUGS, AS WELL--BECAUSE THEY'RE LARGE ENOUGH TO REMAIN IN THE LUNGS, BUT TOO SMALL TO TRIGGER THE BODY'S DEFENSE SYSTEMS. SOME OF THE BIGGEST ADVANCES IN MEDICINE ARE ACTUALLY SOME OF THE SMALLEST. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
