|
|
Article: WSU team uses nanotechnology in effort to fight cerebral palsy.(Wayne State University )
- Article from:
- Crain's Detroit Business
- Article date:
- August 17, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Gabe Nelson
There's no cure for cerebral palsy, a neurological condition inhibiting muscle coordination that affects about 10,000 newborns in the U.S. each year, but a husband-and-wife research team at Wayne State University believes nanotechnology could be the key to preventing and treating the disease.
The team, led by chemical engineering professor Rangaramanujam Kannan and assistant pediatrics professor Dr. Sujatha Kannan, has patented the use of tiny tree-shaped polymers called dendrimers to target brain inflammation, the ailment's root cause.
The polymers are between 5 and 10 nanometers long more than 700 times smaller than a ...