Nanoparticle screen could speed up drug development
Many scientists are pursuing ways to treat disease by delivering DNA or RNA that can turn a gene on or off. However, a major obstacle to progress in this field has been finding ways to safely deliver that genetic material to the correct cells. Encapsulating strands of RNA or DNA in tiny particles is one promising approach. To help speed up the development of such drug-delivery vehicles, a team of researchers from MIT, Georgia Tech, and the University of Florida has now devised a way to rapidly test different nanoparticles to see where they go in the body. “Drug delivery is a really substantial hurdle that needs to be overcome,” says James Dahlman, a former MIT graduate student who is now an assistant professor at Georgia Tech and the study’s lead author. “Regardless of their biological mechanisms of action, all genetic therapies need safe and specific drug delivery to the tissue you...