December 21, 2011

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Hans Joachim Duerr
Head of Corporate Communications

• Nanotechnology in medicine: effective, targeted and fast
  An aging society and demographic shift have led to an increasing need for new or improved medical technologies and processes. That's why nanotechnology has long been a topic of key interest in the field of medicine. It's about its potential for improving medications, the formulation of drugs and new transport mechanisms, or completely new diagnoses. Medical technology also stands to benefit from the possibilities offered by nanotechnology >>

• New Nanostart event series begins with "NanoWebTalk – Nanotechnology Online"
  Nanostart AG will launch a new series of events in 2012 named NanoWebTalks. In regular online presentations, proven experts from the Nanostart network will discuss various topics surrounding nanotechnology. The presentations will be aimed at anyone with an interest in the field >>

• Nanospots – the Nano Short Film Festival
  Innovative, scientific and creative: the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg and science2public, a scientific communications firm, are jointly launching a new competition known as nanospots. Nanoscientists step behind the camera, turning animated image sequences from the nanocosmos into fascinating short films >>

• Nanostart to host information event for students at Goethe University Frankfurt
  On January 11, Dr. Stefan Elsser, Senior Venture Partner at Nanostart AG, will present the company at the Westend Campus of the Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main. His presentation will explain the function of private equity and venture capital, with a particular focus on the special features of venture capital in the nanotechnology environment >>

• Press releases >>

• Upcoming events >>

Nanotechnology in medicine: effective, targeted and fast

An aging society and demographic shift have led to an increasing need for new or improved medical technologies and processes. That's why nanotechnology has long been a topic of key interest in the field of medicine. It's about its potential for improving medications, the formulation of drugs and new transport mechanisms, or completely new diagnoses. Medical technology also stands to benefit from the possibilities offered by nanotechnology.

Many of the new products that were on display at the COMPAMED show in Düsseldorf last month are based on the use of nanotechnology:

Implant roughness

In addition to the right choice of materials, optimal surface structure is also a key factor in the quality of implants. For instance, biocompatibility is primarily determined by the surface roughness of the implant. Biocompatibility is the term used by medical professionals to describe how well the implant is integrated within the organism. Generally speaking, roughness within a narrow range of ten nanometers is optimal for adherence of the surrounding cells. A defined surface within this range will result in high implant acceptance.

For example, organic nanosurfaces ensure higher tolerance of artificial joints by the human body. The same is true for dental implants, where roughness in the nanometer range can ensure quick integration into the jawbone. The optimal surface structure is generated either mechanically or via laser. Quality control is particularly important when it comes to implants as an inadequate integration could lead to a high level of suffering on the part of the patient.

Proper inspection of the surface prior to implantation is therefore key. 3D surface measuring technology is now available, combining the advantages of a roughness meter with those of a form-measuring device. The new technology allows resolutions of up to 10 nanometers, even in the case of complex forms or varying material properties.

Miniaturization in the lab

Miniaturization has also made its way into the field of laboratory medicine in the form of a so-called 'lab on a chip', a nanostructured device on which tiny biosamples (such as blood, urine or cell tissue) can be analyzed more quickly with fewer chemicals than ever before, even outside the lab. The process for producing these chips is similar to that of waffles in a waffle iron. In this case, the waffle irons are thick, electrochemically produced nickel-phosphorus layers. These layers can be treated with extreme precision using diamonds, allowing for surface roughnesses of less than two nanometers. With these highly precise forms, biochips with nanometer-fine channels are then pressed out of a polymer "waffle dough". Other nanostructured objects such as microoptics for endoscopes are manufactured using this method, resulting in excellent properties thanks to nanotechnology.

Multi-talented nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are becoming an increasingly important factor in many kinds of medical applications. For instance, they are the key technology behind a new treatment option for combating brain tumors. The new method was developed by MagForce, one of the companies in the Nanostart investment portfolio, and involves introducing magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles directly into the tumor and heating them from the outside in a magnetic alternating field. This field changes its polarity up to 100,000 times per second, causing the particles to vibrate and generating heat directly inside the tumor. As a result, the tumor cells are irreparably damaged or sensitized to concomitant radiation or chemotherapy. If the iron oxide particles were not nanodimensioned, therapeutically effective temperatures could not be achieved.

Magnetic nanoparticles are also crucial to a new medical imaging process, in which tiny magnets are injected into the bloodstream as tracers for imaging purposes. An imaging system can react to the magnetism of the particles and generate a three-dimensional image of their local concentration, even during physiological processes. This method has already been proven in preclinical trials in the capture of precise real-time 3D images of blood flow and cardiac motion. This so-called magnetic particle imaging process is still in the development stages and could one day become a valuable tool in diagnosing illnesses.

Nanoparticles may also allow the targeted administration of active substances. The basic concept involves latching active substances onto transport molecules or enveloping them and releasing them onto the sick tissue. More and more of these drug delivery systems are currently undergoing clinical testing. The transport of active substances to the desired location of effect minimizes side effects that would otherwise occur through non-specific distribution throughout the body. MagForce has begun researching ways in which its nanoparticles could be used for such transport purposes. Lumiphore, another company in the Nanostart portfolio, has developed a complex chemical compound that binds a radioactive particle to a biomolecule that can identify certain types of cancer cells. The biomolecule transports the radioactive particles to the tumor. This targeted radiation therapy uses nanotechnology.

Another challenge of drug delivery systems is protecting them against the immune system. Because nanoparticles that are not modified on the surface are quickly detected and attacked by the immune system, intense research is being conducted on structures that could prevent the docking of immune cells. These include chain-like polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules. These types of structures are used, for example, in anti-cancer (cytostatic) drugs that inhibit cell growth.

Beneficial nanocoatings

Nanocoatings are also increasingly being used for a wide variety of applications. 30- to 50-nanometer coatings made of amorphous carbon, developed primarily for use on polymer materials and flexible implants, are having a truly revolutionary impact. Even at low thicknesses, coatings allow maximum utilization of new surface properties. These include low adhesion forces, which sharply reduce biomolecule colonization in tubular structures such as urological catheters or drainage tubes. The carbon coatings are separated from the gaseous phase at 50°C in a reactive plasma process. These low temperatures allow the coating not just of metals but of plastics as well. Nanocoatings are also used in the case of stents. These supportive structures hold vessels open and are used, for example, to prevent heart attacks in the case of blocked arteries.

Nanotechnology conquers the world of medicine
Whether in measuring processes, as particles, probes or coatings, nanotechnology is becoming increasingly common in medical technology, despite the fact that it has only recently begun to be developed.    
According to optimistic projections by the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (VFA), nearly half of all drugs could be manufactured using nanotechnology within the next 10 to 15 years.

New Nanostart event series begins with "NanoWebTalk – Nanotechnology Online"

Nanostart AG will launch a new series of events in 2012 named NanoWebTalks. In regular online presentations, proven experts from the Nanostart network will discuss various topics surrounding nanotechnology. The presentations will be aimed at anyone with an interest in the field.
 
Nanotechnology is still in its early stages, in terms of both its potential applications and its social acceptance. Nanostart AG promotes a nuanced, ideology-free approach and impartial, objective discussion. Trust and acceptance toward nanotechnology are essential for optimally exploiting the indisputable benefits and enormous potential of nanotechnology in promoting positive economic and social development.
With the NanoWebTalks series, Nanostart hopes to offer a platform for information and discussion about nanotechnology.

Anyone can take part in the online presentations, which will be followed by a question-and-answer session between participants and presenters. The series will commence on January 25, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. (CET) with a presentation by Professor Wolfgang Heckl, one of the world's leading scientists in the field of nanotechnology. His presentation will be entitled "Nanotechnology Between Hype and Hope."

For more information on the NanoWebTalks and how to register, please visit www.nanowebtalk.de.

Nanostart to host information event for students at Goethe University Frankfurt

On January 11, Dr. Stefan Elsser, Senior Venture Partner at Nanostart AG, will present the company at the Westend Campus of the Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main. His presentation will explain the function of private equity and venture capital, with a particular focus on the special features of venture capital in the nanotechnology environment.

The event is being organized jointly by Nanostart and Goethe Finance Association (GFA) e. V., of which Nanostart AG has been a patron since September 2011. Nanostart is happy to invite all students of the University of Frankfurt to attend the event.

The GFA connects students and alumni with companies in the financial center of Frankfurt. As a non-profit organization, the GFA actively promotes the research and teaching of the Finance department of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Goethe University Frankfurt. Its aim is to create an optimal learning and research infrastructure for students, and hence help improve the attractiveness of Frankfurt as a place to study. It offers companies access to young professionals, making it an optimal recruitment investment and a platform for active exchange with the University’s Finance department.

Goethe University Frankfurt is one of the ten largest universities in Germany, with over 36,000 students. It is a university with a strong research focus located in the European financial hub of Frankfurt.

More information on the event can be found here >> (German website)

• December 14, 2011
  Nanostart-holding MagForce signs Letter of Intent with leading Russian Medical Product Distribution Company Delrus >>

• Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
  GFA; Frankfurt >>
  
• Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 5:00 p.m.
  NanoWebTalk >>
  
  
• Thursday, February 16, 2012
  nanotech Tokyo >>

Contact

Dr. Hans Joachim Duerr
Head of Corporate Communications

T +49 (0) 69-21 93 96-111
F +49 (0) 69-21 93 96-150
e-mail: presse@nanostart.de
website: www.nanostart.de

Nanostart AG
Goethestrasse 26-28
D-60313 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

CEO: Marco Beckmann
Supervisory Board: Dr. Alfred Krammer (chairman),
Prof. Wolfgang M. Heckl (vice chairman), Achim Lindner
Commercial register: Frankfurt am Main, HRB 74535

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