It looks like a corn cob, is the size of a bacterium, and can reliably transport active ingredients into the lungs. Which is why the researchers at Saarland University are placing such great hopes on this tiny invention. In future, the ‘Nano-maize’ being developed in an interdisciplinary project could be used in immunotherapy for a wide range of diseases. Its shape makes the rod-shaped particle easy to inhale. Because it is the size of a bacterium, it serves as attractive bait for the immune system’s scavenger cells. Once it has been swallowed and digested by these cells, the active ingredient is released and causes the scavenger cells to contribute to the healing process.