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" It is now possible to engineer tiny containers the size of a virus to deliver

drugs and other materials with almost 100 percent efficiency to targeted cells

in the bloodstream. According to a new Cornell study, the technique could one

day be used to deliver vaccines, drugs or genetic material to treat cancer and

blood and immunological disorders. The research was published recently (June 25,

2009) online at the Web site of the journal Gene Therapy.

" This study greatly extends the range of therapies, " said King, Cornell

associate professor of biomedical engineering, who co-authored the study with

lead author Zhong Huang, a former Cornell research associate who is now an

assistant professor at the Shenzhen University School of Medicine in China. " We

can introduce just about any drug or genetic material that can be encapsulated,

and it is delivered to any circulating cells that are specifically targeted, "

King added.

" The technique involves filling the tiny lipid containers, or nanoscale

capsules, with a molecular cargo and coating the capsules with adhesive proteins

called selectins that specifically bind to target cells. A shunt coated with the

capsules is then inserted between a vein and an artery. Much as burrs attach to

clothing in a field, the selectin-coated capsules adhere to targeted cells in

the bloodstream. After rolling along the shunt wall, the cells break free from

the wall with the capsules still attached and ingest their contents.

" The technique mimics a natural immune response that occurs during inflammation,

which stimulates cells on blood vessel walls to express selectins, which quickly

form adhesive bonds with passing white blood cells. The white blood cells then

stick to the selectins and roll along the vessel wall before leaving the

bloodstream to fight disease or infection. Selectin proteins may be used to

specifically target nucleated (cells with a nucleus) cells in the bloodstream.

" The study shows that since only the targeted cells ingest the contents of the

nanocapsules, the technique could greatly reduce the adverse side effects caused

by some drugs. In a previous paper, King showed how metastasizing cancer cells

circulating in the blood stream can stick to selectin-coated devices containing

a second protein that programs cancer cells to self-destruct. Said King, " We've

found a way to disable the function of cancer cells without compromising the

immune system, " which is a problem with many other therapies directed against

metastasis.

" The current study demonstrates that genetic material can be delivered to

targeted cells to turn off specific genes and interfere with processes that lead

to disease. The researchers filled nanocapsules with a small-interfering RNA

(siRNA) and targeted them to specific circulating cells. When the targeted cells

ingested the capsules, the siRNA turned off a gene that produces an enzyme that

contributes to the degradation of cartilage in arthritis. In a similar manner,

the method could be used to target the delivery of chemotherapy drugs, vaccine

antigens to white blood cells, specific molecules that mitigate auto-immune

disorders and more, King said.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com:80/articles/155518.php

Source:

Cornell University

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e-Coli Found In Cookie Dough:

" E. coli O157:H7 was found in a sample of prepackaged Nestlé Toll House

refrigerated cookie dough that had been collected at the Nestlé factory in

Danville, Virginia four days earlier. Acheson, FDA's assistant

commissioner for food safety told the press that investigators didn't find the E

coli in the factory itself or on equipment in the factory but in a tub of

chocolate cookie dough that had been made there in February. The tub carried an

expiry date of June 10, he said, according to a report by the Washington Post.

E. coli is a food borne bacterium that can cause serious illness.

" The product affected is one of dozens of prepackaged Nestlé Toll House

refrigerated cookie dough products currently under recall. The recall followed a

joint warning to cosumers by the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) on 19 June warning them not to eat any varieties of the product

because of risk of contamination by E coli. The warning was prompted by an

epidemiological investigation by the US Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) and a number of state and local health authorities.

" Last week the CDC reported that 69 people in 29 states have been infected with

the outbreak strain. 34 of the infected people have been hospitalized, 9 with a

severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (a disease that destroys

red blood cells), and no deaths. However, one final test remains to confirm

that the strain of E coli that is causing the outbreak is the same one that was

found in the cookie dough sample retrieved from the Nestlé factory, said the

FDA.

" One of the mysteries surrounding this investigation is the fact that none of

the ingredients is normally considered a source of E coli, a bacterium that

usually resides in the gut of cattle. The cookie dough comprises mostly eggs,

flour, chocolate and butter, a list that one would normally associate with a

salmonella rather an E coli outbreak.

In the meantime, Nestlé " has fully cooperated with the FDA and CDC

investigation " and has recalled all potentially affected products, said the FDA

announcement.

" Information released by Nestlé when they issued the recall for 30,000 cases of

product on 19 June said they were taking this action out of " an abundance of

caution " . Nestlé strongly advised consumers that they should never eat raw

cookie dough (the product is intended for baking at home), and that this warning

also appears prominently on the packaging.

" If you have bought any of the products on the recall list, then please don't

consume them but return them to where you bought them and get a full refund,

said Nestlé.

The products being recalled include all varieties of Nestlé TOLL HOUSE

refrigerated Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub; Cookie Dough Tube; Limited

Edition Cookie Dough items; Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar

Dough. The manufacturer stressed that no other Nestlé TOLL HOUSE products are

affected, and has issued a full list of those included in the recall, with their

varieties. "

-- Full list of recalled Nestlé TOLL HOUSE products.

Sources: FDA, Nestlé, Washington Post.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD

Copyright: Medical News Today

Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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FYI,

Lottie