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discovered_01_2015 - Flatulent Nanoparticles

PORTRAIT// THE HZDR RESEARCH MAGAZINE WWW.HZDR.DE 30 31 Perhaps it is a good thing that Manja Kubeil’s next research project is taking her to the other side of the world. After all, she wants to build nanoparticles with something akin to flatulence: they are supposed to release carbon monoxide (CO) on demand. But there is no danger, not even for those with a sensitive nose. On the contrary: what the chemist from Holger Stephan’s group wants to construct during her two-year stay at Monash University in Melbourne could one day help cancer patients. Carbon monoxide gas can cause damage to tumors. However, since it can also harm healthy cells, it can only be released in diseased tissue. And so the 31-year-old wants to construct the special molecules that are required to achieve just this. Equipped with a European Union Marie Curie Fellowship, she will work in the labs of her Australian collaborative partner – a project that is unlikely to leave much scope for surfing and kangaroo-spotting. Broadening horizons For Kubeil, who recently completed her PhD in radiopharmacy, the move does not just mean new grounds in geographical, but also in research terms. ‘This is a completely new field for me,’ says the Berlin-born scientist. But she is just as confident about this challenge as she was when she started university, coming to Dresden with the aim of studying // Carbon monoxide is not only a poisonous gas it is also a second messenger that relays signals from one cell to another. HZDR chemist Manja Kubeil wants to target its release in tumors in order to destroy them. _TEXT . Sascha Karberg PEACE AND QUIET: Until shortly before leaving for Australia Manja Kubeil was still to be found in the lab at HZDR FLATULENT NANOPARTICLES

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