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nanotimes News in Brief

Scientists from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) supported by Gyeonggi Regional Research Center (GRRC) have developed a sim- ple method to prepare hollow mesoporous silica capsules (HMSCs). The structures are potential candidates for transporting different types of drugs, proteins and siRNA, and could be particularly suited to larger cargo, which can be difficult to deliver using more conventional geometries. The HMSCs consisted of mesostructured silica walls with a large surface hole (25 to 50nm) and the average particle dimension was 100 to 300nm. They exhibited high surface areas of up to 719.3 m2

g−1 and a mesopo-

rous range of pores of 2.4 to 2.7nm. © Nanotechnology/IOP Publishing

Ji-Sun Lim, Kiwon Lee, Jong-Nam Choi, Yong-Kyung Hwang, Mi-Yeon Yun, Hee-Jin Kim, Yong Sun Won, Sung-Jin Kim, Hyockman Kwon and Seong Huh: Intra- cellular protein delivery by hollow mesoporous silica capsules with a large surface hole, In: Nanotechnology, Volume 23(2012), Number 8, March 02, 2012, Article 085101, DOI:10.1088/0957-4484/23/8/085101: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/23/8/085101

12-02 :: February/March 2012

“We’re very interested in creating protein assem- blies. We want to be able to treat proteins like Lego,” explains Dr Mark Howarth, who with his graduate student Bijan Zakeri at the Department of Biochemistry developed the superglue. “But previ- ously we’ve been limited to ill-controlled processes or have had to build using weak biological interac- tions.”

The Oxford biochemists came up with their new super-strength molecular glue by engineering an un- usual protein from a type of bacteria that can cause life-threatening disease. Mark and his team are now working on developing the molecular superglue technology through Isis Innovation, the University of Oxford’s technology transfer company.

http://www.isis-innovation.com

Bijan Zakeri, Jacob O. Fierer, Emrah Celik, Emily C. Chit- tock, Ulrich Schwarz-Linek, Vincent T. Moy, and Mark Howarth: Peptide tag forming a rapid covalent bond to a protein, through engineering a bacterial adhesin, In: PNAS Early Edition, February 24, 2012, DOI:10.1073/ pnas.1115485109:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1115485109

A bio-inspired superglue has been developed by Oxford University (UK) researchers that can’t be matched for sticking molecules together and not let- ting go. It could prove to be a very useful addition to any toolbox for biotechnology or nanotechnology. You could use the glue to grab hold of proteins or stick them immovably to surfaces. You could even use it to assemble proteins and enzymes to build new structures on the nanometre scale.

Nanomedicine faces two main challenges: control- ling the synthesis of extremely small vectors contai- ning one or several active ingredients and releasing these agents in the right place at the right time, in controlled forms and doses. Researchers from the Organic Polymer Chemistry Laboratory (CNRS/ Bordeaux 1 University/ Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux) have recently encapsulated nanovesi-