January 14, 2008

A study team, led by Boris Polyak, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, has used magnetically responsive nanoparticles to drive healthy cells to targeted sites in blood vessels. The research, done in animals, may lead to a new method of delivering cells and genes to repair injured or diseased organs in people. The study appears in the January 15 edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Polyak collaborated with Gary Friedman, PhD, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Drexel University, as well as researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Duke University. The group's discovery is highlighted in an article in the January 14 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer.