Researchers from North Carolina State University have merged a $147,000 loan from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center with the tools of nanobiotechnology to build NanoVector in Raleigh, one of the state's newest biotech stars.
NanoVector's technology involves the successful modification of a common plant virus so it delivers drugs only to specific cells inside the human body, without affecting surrounding tissue.
These tiny "smart bombs" -- each one thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair -- could lead to more effective chemotherapy treatments with greatly reduced, or even eliminated, side effects.
Stefan Franzen, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, and Steven Lommel, Ph.D., professor of plant pathology and genetics, collaborated on the project, using the special properties of a fairly common and non-toxic plant virus as a means to convey drugs to the target cells.
NanoVector investors expect the technology, if proven effective in the clinic, could cure some forms of cancer -- and bring major investment from product-hungry large pharmaceutical companies.