An August 2014 article in Alaska Airlines Magazine explores the history of nanotechnology and its current applications in medicine. Many scientists at the forefront of innovation of nanotechnology are mentioned in the article, including Dr. Patrick Stayton, UW Bioengineering professor and director of UW’s Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute.
The article describes Dr. Stayton’s current work developing a nanotechnology delivery system to treat certain diseases, including liver cancer. The system uses polymers that act like “stealth bombers”, evading the body’s immune response to carry mRNA inside affected cells. The article reports that this technology is rapidly making progress towards commercialization. It is reaching the commercial stage at PhaseRX, a biotech company co-founded by Dr. Stayton, and is currently in pre-clinical trials.