Scientists Invent Nanosponges to Soak Up Toxins in Bloodstream
Posted on April 20, 2013
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have invented a nanosponge they say can help soak up dangerous toxins from the bloodstream. The scientists say the nanosponges can soak up toxins by MRSA, E. coli, poisonous snakes, bees and more. The nanosponges have been tested on mice so far.
The nanosponges look like red blood cells and absorb damaging toxins and divert them away from their cellular targets. Each nanosponge has a diameter of approximately 85 nanometers. The nanosponges are made of a biocompatible polymer core wrapped in segments of red blood cells membranes so they can avoid being destroyed by the immune system. The nanosponges had a half-life of 40 hours in the mice experiments. The scientists say the liver safely metabolized both the nanosponges and the sequestered toxins, with the liver incurring no discernible damage.
Liangfang Zhang, a nanoengineering professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and the senior author on the study, said in a statement, "This is a new way to remove toxins from the bloodstream. Instead of creating specific treatments for individual toxins, we are developing a platform that can neutralize toxins caused by a wide range of pathogens, including MRSA and other antibiotic resistant bacteria."
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