Nanoparticles as Vectors for Gene Therapy AND Reactivating Stem Cells

SciAm: Nanoparticles Pass Muster as Vectors for Gene Therapy

Replacing viral vectors with nanoparticles designed to deliver genes:

Paras N. Prasad of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and his colleagues manufactured nanoparticles using organically modified silicon. The surface of these particles can be tailored to target specific cells. The team used the tiny units to transport a fluorescent marker gene to dopamine neurons in the brains of mice. After injecting the nanoparticles, the researchers observed brain cells fluorescing using a new imaging technique that works on live animals. According to the report, the study is the first in which a nonviral vector has shown efficacy comparable to that of a viral delivery system in an animal model. What is more, a month later none of the animals had experienced adverse effects from the procedure.

Using the nanoparticles to actually switch on adult stem cells to repair neurological damage:

The researchers also investigated the possibility of manipulating the behavior of specific brain cells, instead of solely tagging their presence. In so doing, they discovered that the nanoparticles can be used to reactivate adult stem cells by altering a nuclear growth factor receptor. The team will next test the approach on larger animals. "In the future," says study co-author Earl J. Bergey, also at SUNY Buffalo, "this technology may make it possible to repair neurological damage caused by disease, trauma or stroke."