Intellectual Property Law

US Patent 7530940 - Nanoparticle enhanced radiation therapy

This patent from a company called NanoProbes appears fundamental to the treatment of tumors using metallic (e.g. gold) nanoparticles. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of enhancing the effects of radiation directed to a tissue or a population of cells in an animal comprising:

administering an amount of metal nanoparticles to said animal and subsequently irradiating the animal with radiation directed to said tissue or said population of cells,

wherein said radiation is in a form selected from the group consisting of x-rays, microbeam arrays of x-rays, radioisotopes, electrons, protons, ion beams, and neutrons,

wherein said metal nanoparticles are administered to said animal in an amount to achieve a concentration in said tissue or said population of cells in the animal of at least about 0.1% metal by weight.

Full post as published by TinytechIP on May 12, 2009 (boomark / email).