The Patient Summit 2014

Jun 17, 2014 - Jun 18, 2014, London

An integrated approach to patient-centric outcomes

Patients could Benefit from a Breakthrough Tool to Evaluate the Impact of Nanomedicines

A revolutionary imaging technique could improve R&D, cost and quality of drugs by tracking the impact of nanomedicines on patients.



Professors at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Ravi Kumar and Dr. Dimitrios Lamprou, believed that an sophisticated form of atomic force microscopy could explore the effects of nanomedicines in the body, after absorption. This technique known as PeakForce QNM could help scientists, researchers and manufacturers assess the issues associated with ‘nanotoxicology’ within the medical industry. This term is related to the build-up of minuscule particles in individuals’ tissues.

This experiment occurred as a result of scientists wanting to discover any possible adverse effects of nanomedicines on patients.  

Professor Kumar said, “Up until now, little has been known about what happens after nanoparticles circulate throughout the body and if they raise any safety issues for the patient.

By using PeakForce QNM atomic force microscopy we can, for the first time, track where these nanoparticles are going throughout the body after oral administration – without attaching any fluorescent or radioactive labels and by using the real drug loaded nanoparticles. In particular, we can identify if they are accumulating in specific areas, causing what is known as 'tissue stiffness' – a condition linked to a variety of diseases, including cancer.”    

Drug manufacturers could benefit from this type of technique, especially at an earlier stage of development, by looking at how certain nanomedicines affected the stiffness of the associated bodily tissue.

Professor Kumar said, “By using atomic force microscopy in this way, we may in future be able to analyse patients' blood and tell if, for example, nanomaterials are accumulating in their livers or arterial walls, causing stiffness which – if it persists long enough – may increase their chances of developing diseases.

The ability of atomic force microscopy to study biomechanical profiles will be an asset in efforts to better understand the difference in tissue stiffness between tissues treated with nanoparticles and those not treated with nanoparticles, how long any associated tissue stiffness persists, and if it disappears quickly.”

Therefore, if researchers are able to use this technique for a variety of diseases, pharmaceutical companies would be able to make sure that only certain nanomedicines and types of research reach a later stage of the development process.



The Patient Summit 2014

Jun 17, 2014 - Jun 18, 2014, London

An integrated approach to patient-centric outcomes