What's important to note about the big nanotube/fullerene corporate love match announced this week is what CSixty is bringing to bulk materials supplier Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc. -- some important drug-delivery technology and a partnership with Merck & Co.
Why would Merck would pay attention to little CSixty? It's the company's fullerene antioxidant technology. What that means is this: C60 (aka buckminsterfullerenes, buckyballs or fish killer) is a sponge that mops up free radicals. No, we're not talking about former members of the Weather Underground. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons that try to shack up and play homewrecker with other molecules, causing cellular damage. They're bad boys. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant. But, buckyballs -- those little rascals -- are 100 to 1,000 times more potent than vitamin E.
CSixty is developing buckyball-based antioxidant drugs for neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, along with some less-serious applications such as anti-aging creams.
Not a bad little acquisition for a nanotube peddler with the right kinds of patents and partnerships.
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