FEATHERED NANO-MIRACLES: SCALING SUSTAINABLE MEDICINE DELIVERY
A remarkable stride has been taken in the field of medical science, chicken feathers have paved way for major advancements in drug delivery and enzyme replacement therapy. The nano-structures or cages are composed of biocompatible peptides—short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Previous versions of nano cages were made of hydrocarbon molecules obtained from tar and other such sources, which often are toxic, and these peptide-based cages are harmless.
The main benefit of the cages is their potential for targeted drug delivery. Chemotherapy agents, antibiotics, and antivirals can all be enclosed within the nano cages, and researchers can attach targeting agents to direct the contents of the cage to tumor sites with great precision. This means that the toxicity observed with conventional chemotherapy, such as hair loss and nerve depletion, can be avoided.
Moreover, the application of these cages is expanded beyond the delivery of drugs to include enzyme replacement therapy: a groundbreaking prospect. Historically, malfunctioning enzymes responsible for a variety of diseases, including cancer, could only be inhibited by drugs, which resulted in downstream effects on bodily functions. With the discovery of peptide-based cages, a paradigm shift can be foreseen where enzymes can be directly replaced within the body.
The unique structural properties of the proline and collagen, which are the building blocks of these cages, further amplify their efficacy. Proline's rigidity and solubility in water make it very ideal for encapsulating drugs, which perfectly go well with the physiological environment inside the human body. Besides, by adding small quantities of metals such as palladium, researchers are able to manipulate the size of the cages, hence enhancing their adaptability and versatility.
In addition, abundant proline and collagen for production also mean cost effectiveness and scalability in manufacturing. Will this be a new era of a sustainable healthcare? As researchers make their way into uncharted territory, discovering an unexplored, unending spectrum of peptide-based cages, this journey from innovation in the lab to clinical use on a broad scale is just beginning. The future presents itself with exciting possibilities as we to envision a landscape in which healthcare is not only effective but also environmentally friendly and accessible to all regions.
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https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/chicken-feathers-to-deliver-chemotherapy-drugs-and-repair-enzymes
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