|
 
Kattesh Katti, professor of radiology and biomedical physics
|
Radiology
Department at the
Forefront of Nanoscience
by Jennifer Faddis
A tiny particle undetectable by the human
eye is at the center of future research and discovery in science,
technology and medicine. Experts, including a national academy
of sciences member, have commented that the University of Missouri-Columbia
is ten years ahead of the curve, due to discoveries made in the
field of nanoscience by Kattesh Katti, professor of radiology
and biomedical physics and Raghuraman Kannan, research assistant
professor of radiology. These discoveries paved the way for the
recent opening of the Nanoparticle Production Core Facility (NPCF),
one of the first on-campus facilities of its kind.
“One can use other processes but what
we have developed is superior to any process out there,”
Katti said. “We already are seeing the results of setting
up such a facility. Development of a number of new nanoscience
research projects and submission of several research grants were
possible because of the availability of nanoparticles that would
not have been possible without this resource.”
The NPCF will produce a reliable and continuous
supply of metallic nanoparticles to help researchers pursue cutting
edge research in nanoscience, nanotechnology and nanomedicine.
The center has been able to facilitate research in cancer imaging
and therapy that depends on direct applications of metallic nanoparticles,
Katti said. The nanoparticles are provided to radiologists, biologists,
physicists and engineers. The availability of nanoparticles is
a unique resource because in many cases certain types may not
be commercially available or cannot be shipped. The on-campus
facility provides an endless supply of gold and silver nanoparticles
in various sizes or customized to a researcher's specification,
Kannan said.
Metallic nanoparticles are made especially
for medical applications in a patented process. Research is underway
at MU to use these nanoparticles to detect cancer, even at a pre-cancerous
stage through medical imaging techniques. MU experts from several
fields, including radiology, biochemistry,
veterinary sciences,
biomedical
engineering and physics,
are working together to use the tiny nanoparticles to treat cancer
at the molecular level.
“This production facility is a unique
resource for MU and the state of Missouri moving both forward
into the field of nanomedicine,” Katti said. “A $5
million grant recently was submitted to the National
Institutes of Health to establish a major multi-faculty cancer
and nanotechnology platform at MU.”
“Dr. Katti and Dr. Kannan are very forward-thinking
scientists and their research has moved MU to the front of the
line in the area of nanomedicine,” said Radiology Department
Chair Robert Churchill. “Their basic science research is
of the highest quality and the results of their research provide
the foundation for the development of new and innovative ways
to image certain types of cancer and to ultimately treat cancer.”
According to Katti, the NPCF is serving as
an important hub to provide formal education and training in nanoscience
and nanotechnology to MU's undergraduate and graduate students
to shape the future of major nanotechnological scientific developments
related to human health and hygiene.
“We are really proud and excited by
the cutting-edge research that Dr. Katti and his group are doing
in the field of nanomedicine,” said Vice Provost for Research
James Coleman. “The Nanoparticles Production Core Facility
is a centerpiece of that work and also in our plans to build one
of the best nanomedicine programs in the world.”
Dr. Katti and Dr. Kannan’s research
recently appeared in an article on the Web site PhysOrg.com.
Based on that article, the World
Gold Council is now directing all inquiries it receives regarding
gold nanoparticles to MU.
Archives
| Comments | Home SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe
| Change Your
Address | Unsubscribe
Copyright © 2007 — Curators of the University of Missouri
DMCA and other copyright information.
All rights reserved.
An equal opportunity/ADA institution.
Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
Questions? Comments? E-mail comments@mizzoualumni.org
Last Update:
November 19, 2007
|
