London, April 23: Scientists have developed a new technique to bind proteins to nanoparticles that can help make drugs "smarter" and more effective at reaching their target.
The new technique decorates gold nanoparticles with a protein of choice so that they can be used to tailor drug to more accurately target an area on the body, such as a cancer tumour.
Gold nanoparticles are spheres made of gold atoms having a diameter of only few billionths of a metre which can be coated with a biological protein and combined with drugs to enable the treatment to travel through the body and reach the affected area.
"Gold nanoparticles are a vital tool in new drug development and drug delivery systems. We have unlocked the key to binding proteins and molecules so that those drugs will be more effective," said Enrico Ferrari, a nanobiotechnologist from Britain's University of Lincoln.
Until now, the proteins used to coat the nanoparticles had to be mixed together with particles which do not have the ability to control the way they bind, possibly making the drug less effective.
However, the new method, published in the journal Nature Communications, enables pharmacologists to place the proteins onto the gold nanoparticles layer by layer in a specific order.
This maintains the integrity of the protein so that the drug is more effective, opening up possibilities for the development of nanomedicine.
"This method might help to design nanomedicines that do not need extensive chemical modification of a protein drug or a nano-carrier and therefore can be developed more easily and faster," Ferrari added.
Researchers took fragments of proteins from bacteria and flatworms, which when fused together were effective at binding to the gold nanoparticle surface and able to form stable bonds to any other protein.
By mixing this fusion protein with gold nanoparticles, it permanently binds to the gold surface while also being able to stably bind a target protein.
The novel method could also potentially be applied to biosensors and diagnostic kits that use gold, such as those used in clinical settings to identify ongoing infections in patients' blood, the researchers said.
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Telangana: Teen rape victims pass Class 10 exam, aspire to join police
Hyderabad (PTI): Demonstrating remarkable grit and determination in the face of severe trauma, two minor rape victims in Telangana have recently passed the Class 10 examination with flying colours, results of which were recently announced in the state. The journey of younger girl (aged 15) is extremely shocking as she was raped by her own father in 2023.
This was discovered when her grandmother took her to a hospital when she complained of stomach pain, where doctors found out that she was pregnant.
To make matters worse, her pregnancy could not be aborted as it was in an advanced stage. She delivered a baby in the ninth month, M Mahender Reddy, a police officer, who dealt with both cases, told PTI recently.
The baby was admitted to an orphanage and the girl continued her education, he added.
Despite these tribulations, she passed the class X standard examination with a 5.6 GPA (grade point average).
The father was handed out a conviction with life imprisonment by the court which also awarded a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the girl, Reddy said.
The other girl (aged 16) was raped by her uncle, Reddy said. She secured an impressive 9.3 GPA in the class X standard exams.
In view of the heinous crime committed by her uncle, the girl's relatives stayed away from the family.
However, they congratulated her after her success in the X standard exam, he said.
Interestingly, both the girls now aspire to become police officers as their fear of police has vanished after they were helped by the Meerpet police station to get justice.
Reddy, who earlier served as SHO of Meerpet police station, said the woman constables and other police personnel handled the case with a humane approach.
Apart from helping the victims, Reddy said the police personnel went beyond the call of duty and tried to instill courage in their minds without confining themselves to the case requirements.
The police personnel also encouraged them to pursue their education, he added.
