Japanese and UNMC experts on nanotechnology and its impact on
drug delivery will be featured at a mini-symposium on Monday,
Jan. 6, in the UNMC Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater.
Six scientists from the Nanotechnology
Researchers Network Center of Japan will visit UNMC as part
of their tour of three universities in the United States. Ultimately,
UNMC hopes to become part of an international collaborative
center that will study nanotechnology and specifically, nanomedicine.
“The purpose of our visit to the
United States is to investigate the latest research trends in
biomedical application of nanoparticles and to have opportunity
to build connections with U.S. researchers in this field,” said
Kazunori Kataoka Ph.D., the Tokyo University professor who will
lead the delegation.
"This is a wonderful opportunity
for scientists to hear from some of the world’s leading experts
on nanomedicine and drug delivery,” said Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov,
Ph.D., Dr.Sc., professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the UNMC
College of Pharmacy. “We hope that through this visit, we will
be able to show off our expertise to the Japanese visitors,
and that we will be an active participant in the collaborative
efforts between these Japanese scientists and U.S. scientists.”
What is nanomedicine?
Nanomedicine is an emerging field
of medicine with novel applications. Nanomedicine is a subset
of nanotechnology, which uses tiny particles that are more than
10 million times smaller than the human body. 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.
“There are clear applications
in drug delivery or 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.”
Dr. Kabanov's research
at UNMC
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.
Dr. Kataoka said that Dr. Kabanov’s
group is one of the most active U.S. research groups in nanotechnology
and its application in drug delivery. “We expect to have exciting
discussions with him and his colleagues,” Dr. Kataoka said.
“The most important point for the success of collaboration is
to find a proper partner. There is no borderline in the market
of biomedical engineering, and international collaboration can
give you more information about the circumstances of this field
in other countries.”
Dr. Kataoka's research
Dr. Kataoka is one of the world’s
leading scientists in bio-related and bio-compatible polymers.
He has made several seminal contributions in the field of polymer
self-assembly and developed several breakthrough technologies
including the use of polymer micelles and complexes of ionic
block copolymers for controlled drug delivery. His block copolymer-based
formulation of doxorubicin -- different from UNMC’s -- is also
undergoing clinical evaluation. This formulation and that of
Dr. Kabanov’s are the first examples of clinical use of block
copolymers in cancer.
The Nanotechnology Researchers
Network Center of Japan
The Nanotechnology Researchers
Network Center of Japan was developed earlier this year to support
nanotechnology researchers providing intra- and international
information about nanotechnology research.
Dr. Kabanov said he is optimistic
that UNMC will be part of the international nanotechnology collaboration
center with the Japanese, especially in the area of drug delivery.
“Our goal is to create a center
of excellence in drug delivery research at UNMC, based in the
College of Pharmacy,” Dr. Kabanov said. “Hopefully, we will
be active participants in the nanotechnology research center.”
In all, the Japanese scientists will spend about two days in
Nebraska. While here, they will participate in the mini-symposium;
tour UNMC laboratories in which nanomedicine plays a key role;
visit with key campus officials, including Chancellor Harold
M. Maurer, M.D.; and attend social functions hosted by UNMC
scientists.
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