Rare Earths and Nanotechnology
 

Nanoparticles Explored for Preventing Cell Damage

http://images.livescience.com/templa...and_153x82.gif
By Cecile Gonzalez , National Science Foundation
posted: 26 June 2009 08:24 am ET


This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation.
Sudipta Seal is enthralled by nanoparticles, particularly those of a rare earth metal called cerium. The particles are showing potential for a wide range of applications, from medicine to energy.

Seal is a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Central Florida (UCF), and several years ago he and his colleagues engineered nanoparticles of cerium oxide (CeO2), a material long used in ceramics, catalysts and fuel cells. The novel nanocrystalline form is non-toxic and biocompatible — ideal for medical applications.

Since then, the researchers found that cerium oxide nanoparticles have two additional medical benefits: they behave like an antioxidant, protecting cells from oxidative stress, and they can be fine tuned to potentially deliver medical treatments directly into cells.
Read full article at: http://www.livescience.com/health/09...particles.html