Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Films Stunning Details of Nanoparticles Using New Technology
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2006 12:26 PM
TAMPA, Fla., Aug 22, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nanobac Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NNBP) ("Nanobac" or "the Company") today announced that its scientists have obtained new details about interactions of drugs with calcifying nanoparticles (CNPs), known also as nanobacteria, using award-winning light microscope technology.
The images show nanoparticles being affected by a therapeutic drug ingredient, and offer proof of concept that new microscope technology can detect real-time processes surrounding calcifying nanoparticles, which contain harmful calcifying constituents found in diseases such as kidney stones and atherosclerosis.
"This marks a watershed in the Company's ability to witness interactions between drug ingredients and calcifying nanoparticles," commented Nanobac Co-Chairman Dr. Benedict Maniscalco. "These images also demonstrate clear differences between CNPs and inorganic apatite, offering further proof that CNPs are distinct from inorganic apatite particles."
The video and still images were obtained by Nanobac scientists Dr. Neva Ciftcioglu and Grace Mathew at Nanobac laboratories in the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. The images will be released once the processes they recorded have been validated.
The success is an early result of a collaboration agreement between Nanobac and the Fetzer Memorial Trust to photograph the replication cycle of disease-related calcifying particles (also known as nanobacteria or Calcifying Nanoparticles), using light microscopes to break the 200 nanometer ("nm") resolution barrier. The breakthrough may allow Nanobac scientists to determine if calcification, which occurs in most diseases on the leading causes of death list, has a biological mechanism, which would make it susceptible to therapy.
Until now, scientists had to 'fix' or inactivate such nanoparticles to see below the 200 nmhreshold using electron microscopy, which precluded observing real-time processes.
The "CytoViva"(TM) microscope system, developed at Auburn University and marketed by Aetos Technologies, can resolve details at or below 100 nm and detect particles as small as 50 nm, representing a significant improvement over conventional light microscopes. The CytoViva(TM) system was selected in June by R&D Magazine as one of the top 100 most technologically significant products introduced to the marketplace in 2006. The award is often referred to as the 'Oscar of Inventions.'
About Nanobac Pharmaceuticals
Nanobac Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a life sciences company dedicated to the discovery and development of products and services to improve people's health through the detection and treatment of Calcifying Nanoparticles (CNPs), otherwise known as "nanobacteria". The Company's pioneering research is establishing the pathogenic role of CNPs in soft tissue calcification, particularly in coronary artery, prostate, and vascular disease.
Nanobac's drug discovery and development is focused on new and existing compounds that effectively inhibit, destroy or neutralize CNPs. Nanobac manufactures In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) kits and reagents for detecting Calcifying Nanoparticles. IVD products include a line of assays, proprietary antibodies and reagents for uniquely recognizing CNPs. Nanobac's BioAnalytical Services works with biopharmaceutical partners to develop and apply methods for avoiding, detecting, and inactivating or eliminating CNPs from raw materials.
Nanobac Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For more information, visit our website at: www.nanobac.com .
