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Experts state safety concerns
regarding carbon nanotubes
have been allayed by chemistry
Research Highlights
Apprehension regarding the safety However, there have been concerns
of carbon nanotubes – due to the regarding the safety profile of nano-
similarity of their structure to tubes. A serious concern surrounded
asbestos – has been allayed through the carcinogenic risk from the expo-
research showing that toxic proper- sure of the fibers in the body was
ties are removed when the length of highlighted in 2008. Several studies
the nanotube is reduced. have been carried out that appear to
demonstrate that when untreated,
long nanotubes are injected into
“What we show for the the ab-dominal cavity of mice, the
first time is that in order responses stimulated are similar to
to design risk-free carbon those associated with exposure to
nanotubes both chemical particular asbestos fibers.
treatment and shortening A new study published in Ange­
are needed.” wandte Chemie demonstrates that
long, pristine nanotubes that possess
Carbon nanotubes, first described similar reactivity and pathogenicity
atomically in the 1990s, consist of properties to asbestos had these char-
sheets of carbon atoms that are rolled acteristics completely removed when
into hollow tubes measuring several the nanotube surface was modified
nanometers in diameter. Engineered and the length reduced. This was
carbon nanotubes can be modified achieved through chemical treatment.
chemically through the addition Kostas Kostarelos, Senior Editor
of nucleic acids, chemotherapeutic of Nanomedicine (University College
drugs or fluorescent tags. Carbon London, School of Pharmacy,
nanotubes have possible applica- London, UK), led the research. His
tions in the fields of cancer and gene
therapies.
In addition to these
applications, chemi-
cally modified car-
bon nanotubes are
able to pierce cell
mem-branes. This
property allows
them to behave
like a nanonee-
dle ; giving rise
to the notion that
diagnostic and thera-
peutic agents can be
delivered efficiently into
part of the cytoplasm of cells.

10.2217/NNM.13.29 © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd Nanomedicine (2013) 8(3), 325–328 ISSN 1743-5889 325
News & Views – News
New nanoscale engineering may allow improved drug
delivery techniques
A research team from North Carolina
(NC) State University (NC, USA) has
recently described their work looking
into embedding carbon nanofiber needle-
like structures into an elastic membrane.
The researchers hope that their work,
published in the journal ACS Applied
Materials & Interfaces, can provide a new
direction for drug delivery technology
research. The development of nanostruc-
tures has allowed exciting new devel-
opments in drug delivery, with carbon
nanotubes being able to function as tiny
needles to deliver therapeutic agents in a
highly targeted and localized manner.
The NC State University team has
been able to embed nanofiber needles
into their elastic membrane, generating
a flexible ‘bed of nails.’ One application
of this technology would be to create tiny
balloons covered in nanoneedles that are
coated in a relevant drug. The balloon
could be moved to the target area and
then inf lated, embedding the needles
in the surrounding tissue and deliver-
ing the drug. The balloon could then be
deflated and withdrawn. However, the
process of constructing a flexible surface
326
collaborators included Alberto Bianco (Le
Centre National de la Recherche Scientific,
Strasbourg, France) and Maurizio Prato
(University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy).
The authors demonstrate in their paper,
two reactions that question if any type
of chemical modification will lead to the
nanotubes becoming nontoxic. The paper
concludes that only those reactions that
leave the nanotubes stable in biological
fluids without aggregating and shorter in
length will result in risk-free material.
Kostarelos commented on why the find-
ings had such importance, “The appar-
ent structural similarity between carbon
nanotubes and asbestos fibers has gener-
ated serious concerns about their safety
profile and has resulted in many unrea-
sonable proposals of a halt in the use of
that the needles could be attached to has
proved challenging. In order to attach the
nanofiber needles to the flexible polymer,
the needles were initially grown on alu-
minum; the needles and aluminum were
then spin-coated with the polymer in
a liquid form, coating the needles and
the base plate. The polymer was solidi-
fied into the final elastic membrane. In
order to remove the completed structure,
the aluminum was dissolved, leaving the
flexible needle array.
“The development of
nanostructures has allowed
exciting new developments
in drug delivery, with carbon
nanotubes being able to
function as tiny needles to
deliver therapeutic agents in a
highly targeted and localized
manner.”
The NC state team was able to
observe the complete structure using a
scanning electron microscope, energy-
dispersive x-ray imaging and fluorescence
Nanomedicine (2013) 8(3)
these materials, even in well-controlled
and strictly regulated applications, such
as biomedical ones. What we show for
the first time is that in order to design
risk-free carbon nanotubes both chemical
treatment and shortening are needed.”
– Written by Priti Nagda
Sources: Ali-Boucetta A, Nunes A, Sainz R
et al. Asbestos-like pathogenicity of long
carbon nanotubes alleviated by chemical
functionalization. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
Engl. 52(8), 2274–2278 (2013); University
College London News. Chemistry resolves
toxic concerns about carbon nanotubes: www.
ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/ 0113/130115-
chemistr y-resolves-toxic- concerns-about-
carbon-nanotubes
microscopy. To ensure that their new
structure was suitable for its intended
function, the team succeeded in impale-
fecting human brain microcapillary
endothelial cells using the technique.
Commenting on their success and
on the potential future applicability of
the technique, one of the manuscript’s
authors, Anatoli Melechko, an associate
professor of materials science and engi-
neering at NC State University, said,
“This technique is relatively easy and
inexpensive … so we are hoping this
development will facilitate new research
on targeted drug delivery methods.”
– Written by Sean Fitzpatrick
Sources: Pearce RC, Railsback JG, Anderson
BD et al. Transfer of vertically aligned carbon
nanofibers to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)
while maintaining their alignment and
impalefection functionality. ACS Appl. Mater.
Interfaces 5(3), 878–882 (2013); North Carolina
State University news. Researchers create
flexible, nanoscale ‘bed of nails’ for possible
drug delivery: http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/
wms-melechko-impale/
future science group

Novel foam drug carrier is
developed to treat urinary
diseases
Researchers at the Institute of
Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen
University (Aachen, Germany), in
collaboration with partner institutes,
have developed a novel approach to the
delivery of drugs for the treat-ment
of common diseases of the urinary
bladder.
The drug delivery system com-
prises a drug-loaded polymer matrix
or microsphere that is embedded
into a foamy absorbable carrier sys-
tem. Directly placed at the site of the
urinary bladder, the carrier system
de-grades, resulting in the slow, regu-
lated release of the drug, followed by
its excretion from the body.
“…the manufacturing process
is anticipated to enable access
to further opportunities in
the development of other
absorbable, drug-eluting
implants.”
Speaking to Future Medicine,
Daniel Kaltbeitzel, research engineer
at Aachen University, envisages that
the novel drug delivery system will be
particularly beneficial in the treatment
of patients with over­a ctive bladder
syndrome. Kaltbeitzel explains that,
“Currently, the drug to treat overac-
tive bladder can be orally applied,
which causes side effects and leads
to a discontinuation of treatment in
70% of cases. Alternatively, frequent
instillation of the drug into the blad-
der with a catheter is required, some-
times as much as several times a day,
as the drug is quickly flushed out the
bladder.” In comparison, the newly
developed drug delivery system may
be applied to the bladder once every
future science group
News – News & Views
couple of weeks, where it will release
the drug, degrade and flush out the
bladder automatically.
The carrier system is manufactured
at Institute of Plastics Processing by
an extended version of the controlled
expansion of saturated polymers pro-
cess. Through the application of a
pressure controlled, continuous vari-
able discharge a powdery microsphere
mixture may be formed. By termina-
tion of the foam structure, the rate of
degradation of the carrier system may
be adjusted to achieve the desired
release properties required of the
drug carrier system, depending on its
specific medicinal application.
According to a press release from
Aachen University, the manufactur-
ing process is anticipated to enable
access to further opportunities in
the development of other absorbable,
drug-eluting implants. In addition,
through optimization of the process,
it is envisaged that the manufacture of
porous osteosynthesis plates or stents
may also be possible.
Development of the novel drug car-
rier was carried out in collaboration
with German companies, Dr. Pfleger
GmbH (Bamburg), Hemoteq AG
(Wuerselen), DWI at RWTH Aachen „„ About the News
University, and with the University The News highlights some of the most
Hospital Aachen. important events and research in the field
of nanomedicine. If you have newsworthy
– Written by Hannah Coaker ­information, please contact:
Hannah Stanwix,
Commissioning Editor,
Source: Institute of Plastics Processing at Nanomedicine,
RWTH Aachen University press release. Future Medicine Ltd
Efficient drug release by absorbable foam: Unitec House, 2 Albert Place
www.ikv-aachen.de/fileadmin/ikv-uploads/ London
A k t u e ll e s- P r e s s e / P M _ 2013_ p d f / I K V- N3 1QB
PR-Drug delivery-System-CESP-process- UK
WEB.pdf Tel.: +44 (0)20 8371 6090;
h.stanwix@futuremedicine.com
www.futuremedicine.com 327
News & Views – News
“This has the potential
to eventually become a
nontoxic treatment for B-cell
lymphoma that does not
involve chemotherapy. It’s an
exciting preliminary finding.”
328
High-density lipoprotein
nanoparticles for lymphoma
treatment: the future looks golden
A team of researchers from Northwestern
University (IL, USA) have developed a
novel high-density lipoprotein nanoparticle
(HDL NP) as a new therapeutic approach
to treating B-cell lymphoma.
The scientists, led by C Shad Thaxton,
synthesized the HDL NPs using a gold nano­
particle template, which enabled Thaxton
and his team to control the conjugate size
and ensure a spherical shape. Similar to
natural high-density lipoprotein, the syn-
thesized NP system targeted a high-affintity
high-density lipoprotein receptor expressed
by the lymphoma cells. However, accord-
ing to the researchers, the gold nanoparticle
core in the HDL NP system enabled dif-
ferential manipulation of cellular cholesterol
flux in the lymphoma cells. This resulted in
the lymphoma cells essentially starving to
death, as cholesterol delivery was limited by
the HDL NP system. Thaxton described
the reasoning behind the study, “At first I
was heavily focused on developing NPs that
could remove cholesterol from cells, espe-
cially those involved in heart disease. The
lymphoma work has broadened this focus
to how the HDL NPs impact both the
removal and uptake of cholesterol by cells.
We discovered the particles are multitaskers.”
Nanomedicine (2013) 8(3)
According to the team, these HDL
NPs could be active in other diseases of
pathologic cholesterol accumulation.
Leo Gordon, co-author of the paper and
Professor of Medicine at Northwestern
University, commented on the research,
“This has the potential to eventually
become a nontoxic treatment for B-cell
lymphoma that does not involve chemo-
therapy. It’s an exciting preliminary
finding.”
The team was encouraged by the appar-
ent nontoxicity of the HDL NPs to other
cells normally targeted by natural HDLs.
However, looking to the future Thaxton
was cautious, “Like every new drug can-
didate, the HDL NP will need to undergo
further testing.”
– Written by Hannah Stanwix
Sources: Yang S, Damiano MG, Zhang H et al.
Biomimetic, synthetic HDL nanostructures for
lymphoma. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 110(7),
2511–2516 (2013); Northwestern University
press release. New way to kill lymphoma with-
out chemotherapy: www.northwestern.edu/
newscenter/stories/2013/01/new-way-to-kill-
lymphoma-without-chemotherapy.html
future science group