Scientists explain how gold nanoparticles easily penetrate
cells, making them useful for delivering drugs.
A special class of tiny gold particles can easily slip
through cell membranes, making them good candidates to deliver drugs directly
to target cells.
A new study from MIT materials scientists reveals that these
nanoparticles enter cells by taking advantage of a route normally used in
vesicle-vesicle fusion, a crucial process that allows signal transmission
between neurons. In the July 21 issue of Nature Communications, the researchers
describe in detail the mechanism by which these nanoparticles are able to fuse
with a membrane.