Medical Nanotechnologies, Inc., awarded Phase 1 Small Business Technology Transfer Grant from the National Science Foundation

Richardson, Texas (July 7, 2010) - Medical Nanotechnologies (“MedNanotech”), based in Richardson, Texas, announced today the award of a Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase 1 grant from the National Science Foundation.  The award will help fund studies between the company and its collaborators at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern).  The project focuses on the use and application of carbon nanotubes combined with near infrared (near IR) light to photo-thermally ablate cancer cells.

“The combination of nanotechnology with medicine (nanomedicine) is creating new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases”, said Dr. Rockford Draper, a Principal Scientist at MedNanotech and Professor in the Departments of Molecular & Cell Biology and Chemistry at UT Dallas.  “The phase I grant award by the National Science Foundation will support basic studies on the application of carbon nanotubes to the noninvasive destruction of tumor cells”. 

Draper is the lead investigator on the grant. He will collaborate with Dr. Ellen Vitetta and her group in the Cancer Immunobiology Center (CIC) at UT Southwestern. Vitetta is the Director of CIC and Professor of Immunology and Microbiology. Draper and Vitetta have been working together for the past several years. 

About the Company

MedNanotech focuses on the functionalization and specific delivery of nanoparticles for applications in various biomedical markets, including the research, diagnostics, therapeutics and veterinary sectors.  In collaboration with their strategic partners, MedNanotech researchers have developed promising technologies that will allow for the effective use of nanotechnology-based solutions to address a variety of issues across multiple scientific disciplines, including basic biomedical research and applied science related to disorders such as cancer and infectious diseases.

For more information about MedNanotech’s technologies and business strategy, visit:  www.nanomedinc.com .

About UT Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas comprises seven schools, offers an array of interdisciplinary degree programs and features a student population as diverse as its areas of study.

With a current enrollment of more than 15,000 students and a world-class faculty that includes a Nobel laureate, members of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and active, news-making researchers, UT Dallas aims to provide Texas and the nation with the benefits of educational and research programs of the highest quality. By merging theory with practice in classrooms and at the University’s 56 research centers, UT Dallas challenges students to investigate their own questions and create the future they envision for themselves.  To learn more, visit: utdallas.edu.

Contact Information

MedNanotech

Rob Burgess, Ph.D.

Chairman of the Board and President

Email:  rob.burgess@nanomedinc.com

Phone: 214-440-2311

Medical Nanotechnologies' intellectual property portfolio grows with newly allowed patent claims  
 
 
Richardson, Texas (January 24, 2010) - Richardson, Texas-based Medical Nanotechnologies, Inc. ("MedNanotech") announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed certain patent claims in a divisional patent application to issued patent US 7,133,725 B2.  The newly allowed claims cover the use of an antibody to target a nanoparticle to specific cells within the body with the intent to perform certain therapeutic functions.  MedNanotech has an exclusive license from New York-based Nanoco, LLC to the '725 patent and its related divisional applications.

"We are delighted to have these new claims awarded.  This decision by the U.S. patent office further validates and solidifies our intellectual property position in the area of targeted nanoparticle therapeutics," said Dr. Malcolm Snead, Professor in the School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California and an inventor on the patent.
 
About the Company
 
NanoMed's focus centers around the functionalization and specific delivery of nanoparticles for applications in various biomedical markets, including the research, diagnostics, therapeutics, and veterinary sectors.  In collaboration with their strategic partners, NanoMed researchers have developed promising technologies that will allow for the effective use of nanotechnology-based solutions to address a variety of issues across multiple scientific disciplines, including basic biomedical research and applied science related to disorders such as cancer and infectious diseases. 
 
More information about NanoMed’s technologies and business strategy can be found at www.nanomedinc.com .
 
Contact Information

Rob Burgess, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board and President, at rob.burgess@nanomedinc.com  or by phone at 214-440-2311.

Burgess to Speak at 2nd Annual United Therapeutics Nanomedical and Telemedical Technology Conferece

Orford, Quebec, Feb. 25, 2009 -- Dr. Rob Burgess, President of Medical Nanotechnologies, will speak at the 2nd Annual United Therapeutics Nanomedical and Telemedical Conference in Montreal on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2008.  This conference features a number of futurists in the medical, pharmaceutical and nanotechnology fields.  For more information please see www.unithertechnologyconference.com. 

A download of Dr. Burgess' presentation can be viewed at:  http://www.unithertechnologyconference.com/downloads09/Speeches/Rob Burgess.mov. 

MedNanotech Founders Publish Research on Targeted Killing of Cancer Cells

DALLAS – June 16, 2008 – Researchers are testing a new way to kill cancer cells selectively by attaching cancer-seeking antibodies to tiny carbon tubes that heat up when exposed to near-infrared light.

Biomedical scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center and nanotechnology experts from UT Dallas describe their experiments in a study available online and in an upcoming print issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists are able to use biological molecules called monoclonal antibodies that bind to cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies can work alone or can be attached to powerful anti-cancer drugs, radionuclides or toxins to deliver a deadly payload to cancer cells.

In this study, the researchers used monoclonal antibodies that targeted specific sites on lymphoma cells to coat tiny structures called carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are very small cylinders of graphite carbon that heat up when exposed to near-infrared light. This type of light, invisible to the human eye, is used in TV remote controls to switch channels and is detected by night-vision goggles. Near-infrared light can penetrate human tissue up to about 1½ inches.

In cultures of cancerous lymphoma cells, the antibody-coated nanotubes attached to the cells’ surfaces. When the targeted cells were then exposed to near-infrared light, the nanotubes heated up, generating enough heat to essentially “cook” the cells and kill them. Nanotubes coated with an unrelated antibody neither bound to nor killed the tumor cells.

“Using near-infrared light for the induction of hyperthermia is particularly attractive because living tissues do not stronglyabsorb radiation in this range,” said Dr. Ellen Vitetta, director of the Cancer Immunobiology Center at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study. “Once the carbon nanotubes have bound to the tumor cells, an external source of near-infrared light can be used to safely penetrate normal tissues and kill the tumor cells.

“Demonstrating this specific killing was the objective of this study. We have worked with targeted therapies for many years, and even when this degree of specificity can be demonstrated in a laboratory dish, there are many hurdles to translating these new therapies into clinical studies. We’re just beginning to test this in mice, and although there is no guarantee it will work, we are optimistic.”

The use of carbon nanotubes to destroy cancer cells with heat is being explored by several research groups, but the new study is the first to show that both the antibody and the carbon nanotubes retained their physical properties and their functional abilities – binding to and killing only the targeted cells. This was true even when the antibody-nanotube complex was placed in a setting designed to mimic conditions inside the human body.

Biomedical applications of nanoparticles are increasingly attracting the attention of basic and clinical scientists. There are, however, challenges to successfully developing nanomedical reagents. One is the potential that a new nanomaterial may damage healthy cells and organisms. This requires that the effects of nanomedical reagents on cells and organisms be thoroughly studied to determine whether the reagents are inherently toxic. 

“There are rational approaches to detecting and minimizing the potential for nonspecific toxicity of the nanoparticles developed in our studies,” said Dr. Rockford Draper, leader of the team from UT Dallas and a professor of molecular and cell biology. 

Other researchers from UT Southwestern involved in the research were lead authors Pavitra Chakravarty, a graduate student in biomedical engineering, and Dr. Radu Marches, assistant professor in the Cancer Immunobiology Center. Authors from UT Dallas’ Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute were Dr. Inga Musselman, Dr. Paul Pantano and graduate student Pooja Bajaj. Two undergraduate students in UT Southwestern’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program – Austin Swafford from UT Dallas and Neil Zimmerman from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – also participated.

The research was supported by the Cancer Immunobiology Center at UT Southwestern, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the Department of Defense and the Center for Applied Biology at UT Dallas.

Dr. Vitetta is a co-inventor on a patent describing the techniques outlined in the study.

Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/cancercenter to learn more about UT Southwestern’s clinical services in cancer.

Burgess to Speak at 1st Annual United Therapeutics Nanomedical and Telemedical Technology Conferece

Orford, Quebec, April 1 -- Dr. Rob Burgess, President of Medical Nanotechnologies, will speak at the 1st Annual United Therapeutics Nanomedical and Telemedical Conference in Montreal on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008.  This conference features a number of futurists in the medical, pharmaceutical and nanotechnology fields. 

Addendum to Press Release

A download and video of Dr. Burgess' presentation can be found at the below web address.

http://www.unithertechnologyconference.com 

NanoMed, Inc. Spins Out of Zyvex Labs

RICHARDSON, Texas, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Zyvex Labs today announced its first company spinout: NanoMed, Inc. The new company was started by Rob Burgess, PhD, former Vice President of Research & Development at Zyvex Instruments, and Gareth Hughes, PhD, former Group Leader of Life Sciences at Zyvex Corporation.

NanoMed is focused on the application of nanotechnology in Life Sciences. The company seeks to apply nanoparticle technologies for the development of research grade reagents and cutting-edge therapeutics. In addition, NanoMed possesses a strong collection of nanotechnology platforms that are currently available for licensing. The new company leverages Zyvex's existing Life Science patents, proprietary methods, and core technologies.

"We are delighted to obtain assignment of the nanoparticle dispersion intellectual property from Zyvex Labs," said Rob Burgess, Ph.D., NanoMed's Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board. "The application of Zyvex Performance Materials' Kentera(TM) and other polymers for functionalizing carbon nanotubes will play an integral role in solidifying NanoMed's portfolio of cutting-edge nanotechnologies as they relate to the biomedical sciences. We look forward to continuing a productive partnership with Zyvex Labs and Zyvex Performance Materials."

"Rob is a focused leader with outstanding technology development skills," said Zyvex Founder Jim Von Ehr. "He also has a proven track record in growing businesses. I expect to see exciting new products from this new venture."

NanoMed's focus centers around the functionalization and specific delivery of nanoparticles for applications in various biomedical markets, including the research, diagnostics, therapeutics, and veterinary sectors. In collaboration with their strategic partners, NanoMed researchers have developed promising technologies that will allow for the effective use of nanotechnology-based solutions to address a variety of issues across multiple scientific disciplines, including basic biomedical research and applied science related to disorders such as cancer and infectious diseases.

Other founders include Rocky Draper, PhD, Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Ellen Vitetta, PhD, Professor and Director of the Cancer Immunobiology Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

More information about NanoMed's technologies and business strategy can be found at http://www.nanomedinc.com.