Scientists from Japan and UNMC came away
from a January nanotechnology conference, sponsored by the College
of Pharmacy, praising each other’s work.
“I was impressed with the level of expertise of
the visiting Japanese scientists, in terms of what they’re doing
with the different nanoparticle applications,” said Don Miller,
Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of pharmaceutical
sciences. “They are very, very advanced in their applications
of nanoparticles.”
Six scientists from the Nanotechnology Researchers
Network Center of Japan visited UNMC Jan. 5-7 as part of their
tour of three universities in the United States. The purpose
of their visit was to investigate the latest research trends
in biomedical applications of nanoparticles, and to build connections
with U.S. researchers in the field, said Kazunori Kataoka Ph.D.,
the Tokyo University professor who led the delegation.
UNMC one of three destinations
For each of the Japanese scientists who participated
in the symposium, this was his first visit to Nebraska. Clarence
Ueda, Pharm.D., Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Pharmacy,
said the symposium afforded College of Pharmacy and Medical
Center faculty the opportunity “to demonstrate the type of innovative
activities and projects, and outstanding, cutting-edge work
taking place in this minute part of the world.
“I feel honored that the delegation of Japanese
nanotechnology scientists chose our campus as one of the three
institutions to visit during their one week trip to the United
States,” Dr. Ueda said. “They could have gone anywhere, University
of California, San Francisco, University of Wisconsin, an Ivy
League School, etc., and they chose to come here!”
Besides UNMC, the scientists visited the University
of Utah and the University of Washington.
Dr. Kataoka said he was very impressed with UNMC’s
research facility, hospital system and educational system.
“I enjoyed very much the conversations with your
researchers, and I received a lot of information about your
research activities for nanomedicine and drug delivery,” Dr.
Kataoka said. “It was, of course, a very good opportunity for
me to listen to lectures concerning the latest research on nanomedicine
for drug delivery systems and gene delivery in the United States.”
Alexander Kabanov, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical
sciences in the UNMC College of Pharmacy, said the conference
a success.
“Undoubtedly, the conference was successful, scientifically,”
Dr. Kabanov said. “I’m happy that we had opportunity to show
scientists at UNMC how strong Japanese science in biomedical
engineering is, and I’m pleased that we were able to show our
expertise to the Japanese scientists.”
Studying nanotechnology
Dr. Kabanov said that UNMC and the Japanese scientists
will continue to collaborate, and that UNMC probably would become
part of an international collaborative center that will study
nanotechnology and specifically, nanomedicine.
Nanomedicine is an emerging field of medicine
with novel applications. Nanomedicine is a subset of nanotechnology,
which uses tiny particles that are less than one-millionth of
an inch in size. In nanomedicine, these particles are much smaller
than the living cell. Because of this, nanomedicine presents
many revolutionary opportunities in the fight against all types
of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and other diseases.
UNMC uses nanomedicine in research
Currently, Dr. Kabanov’s research team is looking
for ways to use nanomedicine to develop drug formulations that
will overcome barriers of drug resistance in many cancers. Funded
by several federal grants, Dr. Kabanov already has co-invented
a polymer formulation that has achieved up to 1,000 times higher
efficacy against drug-resistant tumor cells than doxorubicin,
a widely used chemotherapeutic agent. Dr. Kabanov’s injectable
polymer formulation of doxorubicin is undergoing Phase II clinical
trials.
“There are clear applications of nanotechnology
or nanoparticles in drug delivery or the gene delivery area,”
Dr. Kabanov said. “We can also do imaging by delivering small
particles in the tumor, sometimes across the blood-brain barrier.
By applying a magnetic field in specific cells, we can trigger
drug release or do some other things on the nano-level. A nanoparticle
is a little tool, an extremely small tool, and we are developing
the tool box that will be necessary to address unmet medical
needs.”
Beyond nanotechnology
While they were at UNMC, the Japanese scientists
did more than discuss nanotechnology. They attended various
social functions, at which they had extended conversations with
UNMC leaders, including Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. and
Dr. Ueda. They also tried their hands at mock surgery during
a tour of the robotic surgery suite; toured several UNMC facilities,
including a DNA micro-array facility at the Eppley Cancer Center,
the Munroe-Meyer Institute and the Lied Transplant Center; and
visited the UNMC Center for Neurovirology and Neurodegenerative
Diseases.
Visitors were "impressed"
The scientists were very impressed, Dr. Kabanov
said, with the science and how patients were treated at the
Lied Center. They also noted the relatively few administrative
“borders” that exist between departments and units at UNMC.
“Normally, in the U.S., more administrative ‘borders’
exist,” Dr. Kabanov said. “But UNMC is one of the best places
to collaborate. Sometimes, at universities on the coast, you
wouldn’t see that kind of collaboration. Here, it is very good.”
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