ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 12, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NaturalNano, Inc. (OTCBB:NNAN) (http://www..naturalnano.com/">www.naturalnano.com) announced today that Dr. Michael King of Cornell University will present his recent work demonstrating that capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood can be targeted more effectively by incorporation of NaturalNano's Halloysite Natural Tubes (HNT) onto the surface of devices used to capture CTCs in blood.
Dr. King, an Associate Professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University, states, "The ability to create stable coatings of Halloysite Natural Tubes (HNT) using an extremely thin layer of poly-L-lysine allows the creation of nanostructured surfaces to which living cells respond."
King's lab has developed new methods for the isolation of intact, viable cancer cells from patient blood, based on the physiological adhesion of selectin proteins in micro-scale flow devices.
King continued, "The nanotubes with HNT incorporated into their surface were found to enhance the natural CTC rolling mechanism. This allows the cells to be exposed to specific therapeutic agents or isolated and collected for diagnostic and research purposes."
James Wemett, NaturalNano CEO, said, "We are pleased to have our HNT technology used in Dr. King's important work. The use of HNT in a medical application is a new area of application for NNAN and we hope that Dr. King's work continues to advance. We were particularly pleased that HNT showed no harmful effect on the cells, enabling the capture of live cells ready for treatment or analysis."
About NaturalNano, Inc.
NaturalNano, Inc. (OTCBB:NNAN) is a materials science company focused on developing and commercializing advanced nanocomposites. The Company is focused on additive technologies and processes, including its proprietary Pleximer that adds value to industrial polymers, plastics and composites. NaturalNano holds and/or licenses 20 patents and applications relating to Halloysite, as well as proprietary know-how for its extraction and separation processes, compositions, and derivatives. http://www.naturalnano.com/">www.naturalnano.com.
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