Munich, 16th April 2009 – Packed in capsules, active pharmaceutical substances are to be released only at the place of destination in the body, and detergents are to be dissolved only in the correct washing cycle: LMU scientists have now come a major step closer to achieving these ambitious goals. Thomas Bein, Professor of Chemistry, and his co-workers have developed a system, consisting completely of biological materials, for closing nanocapsules. These components are safe from a health point of view and, at the same time, ensure that the encapsulation is secure. The active ingredients stored can then be released selectively, for instance, by the addition of human digestive enzymes, which decompose a building block of the capsule. The work originated within the "Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM)" cluster of excellence. (Angewandte Chemie, 14th April 2009)

 To the complete press release