AMID the increasing debate about the potential health risks of nanoparticles comes a surprising result: they can prolong the life of brain cells. Neurons usually only live for around 25 days in the lab, but after a low dose of cerium oxide nanoparticles, they survived and functioned normally for 6 months. The finding raises hopes that the particles could one day be used to treat age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Molecular biologist Beverly Rzigalinski and engineer Sudipta Seal of the University of Central Florida in Orlando originally teamed up to see if the nanoparticles could be used to deliver…
