生物谷报道：纳米技术应用于生物学将成为未来的热点，科学家正在努力将纳米应用化，即使纳米制成有规则的几何物体，如纳米导线，纳米管，自组织的八联体等都是近年来在纳米领域的最新进展。而在生物学领域，纳米主要应用于一些材料上，尚未找到合适的结合点，而最近科学家采用纳米技术，通过纳米的特性，造出了自组织的纳米细胞，这开创了一个新的研究方向。
For example, a new method for producing uniform, self-assembled nanocells has been developed by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Reported in the March 10 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the method may have applications as an improved method for encapsulating drug therapies. A patent application has been filed.
Current bulk methods for producing nanocells called liposomes---a type of artificial cell---produce particles in a wide range of sizes. The sizes must be sorted and filtered before being used for drug delivery, since dosage depends critically on size.
The new NIST method uses micrometer-size channels etched into a device to produce self-assembled liposomes of specific sizes from as large as about 240 nanometers (nm) to as small as about 100 nm. A stream of natural fats (lipids) dissolved in alcohol is directed at an intersection of two channels that looks like a micro version of a four-way stop. A water-based liquid containing medicines or other substances is sent toward the lipid stream from two opposing directions. Rather than mixing with the water, the lipids surround it, forming self-assembled nanocells.
Controlling flow rates in the microchannels produces nanocells of specific sizes. Faster flows produce smaller cells. Medicine-filled liposomes made in nanosizes should allow for more accurate drug delivery. In particular, liposomes have been studied for years as a way to concentrate the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy while minimizing harmful side effects.
