More.
We have one breakthrough and twelve (12) noteworthy articles and report and a pile of honorable mentions. This is the last post for a week until I can catch up on a stack of reports.
BREAKTHROUGH
U of Georgia researchers have developed a successful way to grow molecular wire brushes that conduct electrical charges, a first step in developing biological fuel cells that could power pacemakers, cochlear implants and prosthetic limbs.
See EurekaAlert, June 19, 2009 and Chemical Science, June 5, 2009.
NEWSWORTHY
1. EARLY DETECTION OF BLINDNESS.
Researchers from the U Kentucky claim to be able to detect abnormal blood vessels in the living eyes of mice by attaching anti-CCR3 antibodies to tiny semiconductor nanocrystals called "quantum dots" and injecting these into the mice. Early detection may improve treatment regimens.
See Nanowerk, June 15, 2009 and Nature, June 14, 2009.
2. DRUG DELIVERY
Cornell and Shenzhen U researchers claim to have developed a technique that could one day be used to deliver vaccines, drugs or genetic material to treat cancer and blood and immunological disorders. The research involved nanocapsules containing a small-interfering RNA.
See Cornell Chronicle, June 25, 2009 and Gene Therapy Online, June 25, 2009.
3. REACH HAVING CLASSIFICATION ISSUES
Confusion over classification of nanomaterials under the Reach chemicals legislation has led to two groups of companies using different criteria to submit data on carbon nanotubes to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Currently there is so much uncertainty about dealing with nanomaterials under the Reach regulations (which came into force in 2008) that different groups of companies are forming separate data-gathering bodies, called substance information exchange forums (SIEFs), to deal with carbon nanotubes (CNTs).
See Chemistry World, June 16, 2009.
4. EPA ISSUES NANO RULE
U.S. EPA issued a final rule for carbon nanotubes under the Toxic Substances and Control Act, subjecting them to a "new-use" regulation that gives the agency greater authority. Makers of certain carbon nanotubes, as well as those of 21 other chemicals, now must notify EPA at least 90 days before starting manufacturing. The rule takes effect Aug. 24.
See EENewsNet, June 24, 2009.
5. NANO TERM ADDED VALUE OR NOT
A researcher at the National Institute for Consumer Research in Norway claims companies may be less inclined to highlight nanomaterials in their products. While his sample is small, he searched a website run by a major international cosmetics company, using keywords like 'nanotechnology' and 'nano', to estimate how many products contain nanotechnology. His search turned up 29 products in 2007, but when he repeated the same exercise recently, there were zero hits. This, he said, suggests that companies may now view 'nano' as a negative label rather than an added value. Another interpretation could be these products were never marketed or their composition changed to reflect any negative association OR companies have decided to simply move on, add nano-ingredients, and fail to inform consumers. Interesting theses.
See EurActiv, June 15, 2009
6. MAKING SILVER NON-CYTOTOXIC.
Researchers at the U of Trieste described the development of a novel non-cytotoxic nanocomposite hydrogel material based on natural polysaccharides and silver nanoparticles for antimicrobial applications.
See Nanowerk, June 29, 2009 and Biomacromolecules, April 30, 2009.
7. NANO-ALUMINUM AND AGGLOMERATION.
San Diego researchers found that the aluminum particles quickly clustered and stuck together. They also found that the surface charge of the particles affected their movement through soil.
See Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2009
8. CNTS COULD HURT PLANTS.
U Lancester researchers have shown that carbon nanotubes can pierce plant root cells, providing a rapid route for other pollutants to infiltrate the cellular structure of plants.
See Chemistry World, June 10, 2009
9. BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS.
Washington U research claim photoacoustic imaging with a carbon single-walled nanotube (SWNT) contrast agent could provide a non-invasive alternative to sentinel lymph-node biopsy.
See NanotechWeb, June 16, 2009 and Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2009.
10. NANO AND LUNG CANCER (IN VITRO).
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing reported several types of PAMAMs (ployamidoamine dendrimers) killed human lung cells in the lab.
See Nanowerk, June 11, 2009 and Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, June 11, 2009.
11. ANOTHER NANO-ASBESTOS CLAIM (SORT OF).
The Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN) outlines disturbing parallels between asbestos and nanotechnology in order to illustrate the eight needed steps that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) should take to improve disclosures made to investors.
See Nanowerk, June 15, 2009.
12. NANOPARTICLE UPTAKE IN MARINE ECOSYSTEMS.
Researchers at the U of South Carolina observed that clams and biofilms accumulating the most nanoparticles by mass. This could be a serious problem if the same thing happened in the natural environment because biofilms are used as food sources for several different kinds of detritivores, some of which are prey for larger arthropods and small fish.
See NanoTechWeb, June 24, 2009 and Nature Nanotechnology, June 21, 2009.
HONORABLE MENTION
NEW SOCIAL SCIENCE DATA
Researchers from the U Wisconsin found that the public tends to focus on the benefits — rather than potential environmental and health risks — when making decisions about nanotechnology regulation, whereas scientists mainly focus on potential risks and economic values.
See Press Release, June 19, 2009 and the Journal of Nanoparticle Research, June 19, 2009.
LIKELY NANO-SCAM IN AFRICA
An alleged nano product marketed in Uganda looks like a piece of glass and costs between Shs 500,000- 1,000,000. The glass claims to make sick people get nutrients from its use. One pours water and drinks. It is also claimed that carrying it in one’s pocket makes them healthier.
See Sunday Monitor, June 28, 2009
NEW MAGAZINE
India has published a new monthly magazine in nanotechnology called NANO DIGEST. If anyone has a PDF version, let me know or send it along.
See IndiaPRWire, June 15, 2009
STAR TREK TRANSPORTERS????
Stanford researchers pass nanoparticles through rock. With video (at least for now).
See ABC, June 28, 2009.
PAKISTAN AND NANOSCIENCE
Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) will spend US$196.7 million — 30 per cent more than last year — on scientific projects and scholarships in public-sector universities. Much of this money will be used to upgrade science libraries and laboratories and establish centers of excellence for nanotechnology, endocrinology, virology and bioinformatics.
See Science and Development Network, June 29, 2009.
MORE SOLAR
A team of researchers from U Florida and Savannah River National Laboratory are studying how nanostructured coatings mimic structures found in nature that increase the usefulness of solar energy.
See Nanowerk, June 25, 2009.
WAR ON SLEEPING SICKNESS
Researchers at the Institute of Primate Research (IPR) in Nairobi and counterparts from the EU are using nanoscience principles to develop more effective ways of diagnosing and treating trypanosomiasis disease in humans, which is also known as nagana in livestock. Experts have said they may develop a more effective kit for detecting sleeping sickness and medication against the condition in the next three years.
See Daily Nation, July 1, 2009.
RUSSIA AND JAPAN CONNECTION
RUSNANO and the Japanese Ministery of Economy, Trade and Industry, have agreed to establish a workgroup for cooperation in the field of nanotechnology. The decision was made at a meeting during a visit to Japan by a delegation of RUSNANO. The initiative for the agreement was issued by the Japanese.
See RUSNANO, June 17, 2009.
EU AND MALAYSIA CONNECTION
The European Union has called on Malaysian Research and Technological Development (RTD) institutions to fully utilize the EU New Framework Programme 7, aimed at boosting innovation and research capacity. This would build on the five projects already underway. Climate change including technology transfer, carbon capture and storage, bio fuels and renewable energy, nanotechnology and ICT were highlighted as priority areas for EU-Malaysia cooperation.
See Bernama, June 10, 2009.
ANOTHER ROADMAP – PHILIPPINES.
The Philippines revealed a 10-year strategy to create a commercially viable industry using nanotechnology.
See Inquirer.net, June 17, 2009.
HONG KONG AND NANO-INDUSTRY.
Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Fund established in 1999 with an allocation of 5 billion HK dollars (645.79 million U.S. dollars has supported about 1,400 projects with a total investment of about 4 billion HK dollars (516.63 million U.S. dollars), biotech and nanotech account for more than 12 percent of the funding. Projects that have been supported include those in nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, green nanotech, nanotech for textile and apparel applications, and nanotech for medical and healthcare applications.
See Xinhuanet, June 22, 2009.
BAYER BUILDING NANOTUBE PLANT IN GERMANY
Bayer MaterialScience has begun construction of a new facility for the production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in Chempark Leverkusen, Germany. The new plant will have a capacity of 200 tons/year. The company will invest about 22 million euros in the planning, development and construction of the plant.
See Nanoforum, June 10, 2009.
NANO AND SURFBOARDS.
Entropy Surfboards and Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) have teamed up to deliver a new line of custom-made surfboards that incorporate carbon nanotubes from BMS.
See Nanoforum, May 22, 2009.
NANOCRYSTALLINE CELULOSE AND THE FORESTRY INDUSTRY
Nanocrystalline cellulose, or NCC for short, has yet to make an impact on the marketplace, but in a few years companies could find commercial uses in goods as diverse as lipstick to SUVs because of properties such as strength and toughness, biodegradability and ability to “tune” colors without dye.
See Edmonton Journal, June 24, 2009.
Going for Lasik surgery soon. Might be due to reading all these nano-articles.
Yikes.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ 052509
I must remark how impressed the Meridian coverage of nano has been.
NEWSWORTHY
1. CANCER CELLS: DETECT, TRACK AND KILL
Researchers at the U of Arkansas demonstrated that it is possible not only to monitor and detect nanomaterials moving through the circulation, but also to detect single cancer cells tagged with carbon nanotubes. This study was in vivo and in real time and helped explain how these nanoparticles travel through a living system.
See Biooptics World, May 22, 2009.
2. SMELLING LUNG CANCER
Researchers in
See Associated Content, May 25, 2009.
3. DRUG ABSORPTION ADVANCE.
U South Australia researchers are reporting a potential solution to a problem that limits the human body’s ability to absorb and use medications for heart disease, Type-2 diabetes, cancer and other conditions. It is a “nano-hybrid microcapsule” that enables the stomach to absorb more of these so-called “poorly soluble” medicines
See Nanowerk, May 27, 2009 and Molecular Pharmaceutics, June 1, 2009.
4. NANORUST TEST IN
Researchers at Rice U Rice University researchers announced that the first field tests of "nanorust," the university's revolutionary, low-cost technology for removing arsenic from drinking water, will begin later this year in Guanajuato.
See
5. MORE EFFICIENT FUEL CELL CATALYST
Researchers at Washington U have developed a technique for a bimetallic fuel cell catalyst that is efficient, robust and two-to-five times more effective than commercial catalysts.
See Press Release, May 14, 2009
6. MERCURY SENSOR
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology researchers have used a breakthrough nanotechnology to create a pioneering sensor that can precisely measure one of the world’s most poisonous substances, mercury.
See Press Release, May 27, 2009 and Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics, 2009
7. ZINC OXIDE AND BRAIN DAMAGE IN MICE.
Researchers from Shanghai U reported zinc oxide nanoparticles can damage or kill stem cells in the brains of mice. Their findings may suggest that further precautions should be taken to protect people working with nanomaterials.
See NatureAsia, May 11, 2009 and Nanotechnology, 2009.
8. IMPLANTABLE DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS CANCER MONITORING.
Researchers at MIT have designed implants using magnetic nanoparticles that could be implanted at the time of biopsy, could also be tailored to monitor chemotherapy agents, allowing doctors to determine whether cancer drugs are reaching the tumors. They can also be designed to measure pH (acidity) or oxygen levels, which reveal tumor metabolism and how it is responding to therapy.
See MIT News, May 12, 2009 and Biosensors and Bioelectronics, April 15, 2009.
ARAB PROPOSAL TO DISCUSS NANOTECHNOLOGY
The proposal for establishing an Arab Council on Nanotechnology (ACON) was
presented by
‘Nanotechnology and molecular manufacturing: manufacturing: Towards balanced plans for responsible worldwide use.’
See Meridian Institute, May 20, 2009.
UN FORUM TO ADDRESS NANOTECHNOLOGY
A UN global chemicals forum on safe and sustainable chemicals management agreed to address four emerging policy issues in the sector: nanotech, e-waste, chemicals in everyday products and lead in paint
See EuroActiv, May 29, 2009.
The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) is pleased to announce the launch of ENPRA (Engineered NanoParticle Risk Assessment) - a major new European Framework 7 project to develop and implement a novel integrated approach for engineered nanoparticle (ENP) risk assessment.
See IOM World, May 2009.
Researchers from Banaras Hindu U are reporting discovery of a potential new alternative to aspirin, ReoPro, and other anti-platelet agents used widely to prevent blood clots in coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke.
See Nanowerk, May 27, 2009 and ACS Nano, June 23, 2009
Researchers at Washington U demonstrated the effectiveness of antibiotics
by allowing the medicine to be put into an aerosol form in mice.
See Forbes, May 15, 2009.
MODELING TO PREDICT CONTAMINATION
Researcher at Duke U with colleagues at UCLA found a way to estimate the quantity of titanium oxides in the environment by combining science and engineering knowledge with business and economic modeling.
See Press Release, May 20, 2009.
The UK Intellectual Property Office has compiled a nanotechnology patent landscape for the
See Nanowerk, May 12, 2009 and GlobalWatch Online.
Researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Cape Town (CSIR), won a grant from the Gates Foundation for a proposal to use cutting-edge “nanotechnology” to save the lives of tuberculosis patients who forget to take their pills.
See The Times, May 24, 2009.
See News 24, May 19, 2009.
See The Guardian, May 22, 2009.
More coming. The holiday weekend is almost upon us, but the nanoworld doesn't stop for anyone, so it seems. I am going to take a few day to vet the new FOE-Australia report on silver.
SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ 053009
Things let up a bit though a lot of this seems interesting. It's been difficult since we lost postings from Julia Moore from WWI-PEW and the UCSB folks who forwarded listings.
Good news has been that both Nanowerk and NanotechWeb have been doing a great job covering the nano-frontier.
The new PCAST - Co-Chair, John Holdren, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy AND Co-Chair, Eric Lander, Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard U.
• Rosina Bierbaum, Dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.
• Christine Cassel, President of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
• Christopher Chyba, Professor of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton U.
• S. James Gates Jr., Professor of Physics,
• Shirley Ann Jackson is the President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
• Richard Levin, President of Yale U. and economist.
• Chad Mirkin, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern U.
• Mario Molina, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California.
• Ernest J. Moniz, Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, MIT
• Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer at Microsoft Corporation.
• William Press, Professor of Computer Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
• Maxine Savitz, retired general manager of Technology Partnerships at Honeywell, Inc.
• Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google Inc.
• Daniel Schrag, Professor of Geology, Harvard University.
• David E. Shaw, Cief scientist of D. E. Shaw Research, LLC.
• Harold Varmus, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
• Ahmed Zewail, Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Caltech.
NEWSWORTHY
1. NANO SPENDING ADJUSTMENT
According to Cientific, governments will be spending nearly $10 billion on nanotechnology research in 2009, but despite this huge figure government spending has begun to slow down. Spending will only grow by 9.3% from 2008-2012 compared with the 130% increase witnessed from 2004-2008. Countries are now emphasizing the importance of application-driven research in this emerging field.
See NanoTech Wire, May 1, 2009.
2. PORTABLE X-RAY.
Researchers from the Advanced Defect-Characterization Research Group, the
Research Institute of Instrumentation Frontier of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), In cooperation with Dialight Japan Co., Ltd. and Life Technology Research Institute, Inc., has developed practical portable X-ray sources with a cold-cathode electron source using carbon nanostructures.
See Nanowerk, April 24, 2009.
3. DIABETES ALERT
Chinese researchers from Nankai U in Tianjin have developed polymer nanoparticles that can release insulin in response to changes in glucose concentration, creating a potential treatment for diabetes.
See Chemistry World, May 7, 2009.
4. STD ALERT
Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have now designed a unique method for inducing immunity to chlamydia infection. The findings could accelerate progress toward the development of a vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis infections. Their study described the use of a novel vaccine platform that utilizes an engineered nanoparticle delivery system.
See Eureka Alert, April 29, 2009 and PLoS ONE, April 30 ,2009.
5. NIOSH UPDATES ON WORKPLACE SAFETY.
The document, Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology, reiterates the agency's recommendation that employers take measures to control occupational exposure in the manufacture and industrial use of engineered nanomaterials.
See Risk and Insurance, May 4, 2009 and NIOSH
6. NEW VACCINES
Liquidia Technologies presented data at the National Foundation of Infectious Disease (NFID) Annual Meeting which supports new insight into a technology that could provide more safe and effective vaccines for a wide variety of diseases. Results of the study show that the desired immune response elicited by a vaccine can be enhanced up to 10-fold when the vaccine protein is linked to nano-particles of a particular size and shape.
See Press Release, April 28 2009.
7. MORE CANCER AND GOLD.
Researchers at MIT claim to have developed tiny gold particles that can home in on tumors, and then, by absorbing energy from near-infrared light and emitting it as heat, destroy tumors with minimal side effects.
See MIT News, May 4, 2009.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
AUSSIES PUSH FOR NANO LABELING.
The Minister for Science and Medical Research for the NSW Government will push for national mandatory labeling of nano-sized particles used in workplaces and improved testing facilities to assess the safety of new nanomaterials.
See Sydney Morning News, May 5, 2009.
STAPH INFECTIONS TARGETED
Researchers at Yeshiva U have combined their revolutionary new drug-delivery system involving biocompatible nanoparticles with a powerful antimicrobial agent to treat potentially deadly drug-resistant staph infections in mice.
See Press Release and April 30, 2009 and Journal of Investigative Dermatology, April 23, 2009.
INTEL AND SAUDIS SIGN AGREEMENT
Intel and King Abdul-Aziz City of Science and Technology (KACST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a collaborative research agreement to establish CENA, a world-class Center of Excellence in Nano-manufacturing Applications.
See AMEInfo, April 27, 2009.
USING NANO TO COMBAT DRUG RESISTANCE.
Researchers at Northeastern U combine two different anticancer agents in one nanoscale construct, providing a one-two punch that can prove lethal to such resistant cells. The nanoemulsion entraps both paclitaxel and curcumin.
See NCI News, April 2009 and Molecular Pharmaceutics, March 11, 2009.
NANO AND BLADDER REGENERATION
Brown U researcher are using nanotechnology is in regenerative medicine, particularly by creating nanometer pores and associated nanometer surface features to improve bladder tissue growth while inhibiting bladder calcium stone formation, which is a common disease affecting 5.2% of adults in the US with a high rate of recurrence.
See NanotechWeb, April 23, 2009.
EU STUDENT OUTREACH
NANOYOU will design and undertake a communication and outreach program in nanotechnology (NT) aimed at European youth. The project will reach 11-18 year olds through school programs to take place in at least 20 EU Member States and Associated States. Additional programs aimed at young adults aged 19-25 will be offered in science centers.
See ZSI Release, June 9, 2009
Enjoy. More on the way.
Good news has been that both Nanowerk and NanotechWeb have been doing a great job covering the nano-frontier.
The new PCAST - Co-Chair, John Holdren, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy AND Co-Chair, Eric Lander, Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard U.
• Rosina Bierbaum, Dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.
• Christine Cassel, President of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
• Christopher Chyba, Professor of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton U.
• S. James Gates Jr., Professor of Physics,
• Shirley Ann Jackson is the President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
• Richard Levin, President of Yale U. and economist.
• Chad Mirkin, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern U.
• Mario Molina, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California.
• Ernest J. Moniz, Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, MIT
• Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer at Microsoft Corporation.
• William Press, Professor of Computer Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
• Maxine Savitz, retired general manager of Technology Partnerships at Honeywell, Inc.
• Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google Inc.
• Daniel Schrag, Professor of Geology, Harvard University.
• David E. Shaw, Cief scientist of D. E. Shaw Research, LLC.
• Harold Varmus, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
• Ahmed Zewail, Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Caltech.
NEWSWORTHY
1. NANO SPENDING ADJUSTMENT
According to Cientific, governments will be spending nearly $10 billion on nanotechnology research in 2009, but despite this huge figure government spending has begun to slow down. Spending will only grow by 9.3% from 2008-2012 compared with the 130% increase witnessed from 2004-2008. Countries are now emphasizing the importance of application-driven research in this emerging field.
See NanoTech Wire, May 1, 2009.
2. PORTABLE X-RAY.
Researchers from the Advanced Defect-Characterization Research Group, the
Research Institute of Instrumentation Frontier of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), In cooperation with Dialight Japan Co., Ltd. and Life Technology Research Institute, Inc., has developed practical portable X-ray sources with a cold-cathode electron source using carbon nanostructures.
See Nanowerk, April 24, 2009.
3. DIABETES ALERT
Chinese researchers from Nankai U in Tianjin have developed polymer nanoparticles that can release insulin in response to changes in glucose concentration, creating a potential treatment for diabetes.
See Chemistry World, May 7, 2009.
4. STD ALERT
Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have now designed a unique method for inducing immunity to chlamydia infection. The findings could accelerate progress toward the development of a vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis infections. Their study described the use of a novel vaccine platform that utilizes an engineered nanoparticle delivery system.
See Eureka Alert, April 29, 2009 and PLoS ONE, April 30 ,2009.
5. NIOSH UPDATES ON WORKPLACE SAFETY.
The document, Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology, reiterates the agency's recommendation that employers take measures to control occupational exposure in the manufacture and industrial use of engineered nanomaterials.
See Risk and Insurance, May 4, 2009 and NIOSH
6. NEW VACCINES
Liquidia Technologies presented data at the National Foundation of Infectious Disease (NFID) Annual Meeting which supports new insight into a technology that could provide more safe and effective vaccines for a wide variety of diseases. Results of the study show that the desired immune response elicited by a vaccine can be enhanced up to 10-fold when the vaccine protein is linked to nano-particles of a particular size and shape.
See Press Release, April 28 2009.
7. MORE CANCER AND GOLD.
Researchers at MIT claim to have developed tiny gold particles that can home in on tumors, and then, by absorbing energy from near-infrared light and emitting it as heat, destroy tumors with minimal side effects.
See MIT News, May 4, 2009.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
AUSSIES PUSH FOR NANO LABELING.
The Minister for Science and Medical Research for the NSW Government will push for national mandatory labeling of nano-sized particles used in workplaces and improved testing facilities to assess the safety of new nanomaterials.
See Sydney Morning News, May 5, 2009.
STAPH INFECTIONS TARGETED
Researchers at Yeshiva U have combined their revolutionary new drug-delivery system involving biocompatible nanoparticles with a powerful antimicrobial agent to treat potentially deadly drug-resistant staph infections in mice.
See Press Release and April 30, 2009 and Journal of Investigative Dermatology, April 23, 2009.
INTEL AND SAUDIS SIGN AGREEMENT
Intel and King Abdul-Aziz City of Science and Technology (KACST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a collaborative research agreement to establish CENA, a world-class Center of Excellence in Nano-manufacturing Applications.
See AMEInfo, April 27, 2009.
USING NANO TO COMBAT DRUG RESISTANCE.
Researchers at Northeastern U combine two different anticancer agents in one nanoscale construct, providing a one-two punch that can prove lethal to such resistant cells. The nanoemulsion entraps both paclitaxel and curcumin.
See NCI News, April 2009 and Molecular Pharmaceutics, March 11, 2009.
NANO AND BLADDER REGENERATION
Brown U researcher are using nanotechnology is in regenerative medicine, particularly by creating nanometer pores and associated nanometer surface features to improve bladder tissue growth while inhibiting bladder calcium stone formation, which is a common disease affecting 5.2% of adults in the US with a high rate of recurrence.
See NanotechWeb, April 23, 2009.
EU STUDENT OUTREACH
NANOYOU will design and undertake a communication and outreach program in nanotechnology (NT) aimed at European youth. The project will reach 11-18 year olds through school programs to take place in at least 20 EU Member States and Associated States. Additional programs aimed at young adults aged 19-25 will be offered in science centers.
See ZSI Release, June 9, 2009
Enjoy. More on the way.
Monday, June 29, 2009
SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ 041509
This took some time. A lot happened in April. There were three notable breakthroughs, nine (9) noteworthy news stories, and quite a few honorable mentions. My students convinced me to work harder on my hyperlinks. We read every article that comes across our desks and aggressively search out everything we can find.
Tell your friends and let me know which format you prefer.
Tell your friends and let me know which format you prefer.
BREAKTHROUGH – NANOSCALE RINGS
Researchers at Cal Tech and Berkeley report a direct catalytic route for making nanoscale rings with potential applications in drug delivery and organic photovoltaic devices.
See C&EN, April 20, 2009 and J Am Chem Soc,
BREAKTHROUGH – NANOPARTICLE THIN FILMS
Researchers at MIT have used capillary condensation to functionalize inorganic nanoparticle coatings that could be used to make transparent thin films for applications like imaging devices and memory storage. The technique also bypasses the need for toxic, co-solvents during processing.
See NanotechWeb, April 24, 2009.
BREAKTHROUGHS – DNA SEQUENCING
Researchers at Oxford and Oxford Nanopore Technologies demonstrated that the four standard DNA nucleotides—adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine can be distinguished from one another reliably by the amount of current they each block as they flow through a nanopore. Taking DNA apart one nucleotide at a time, directing the nucleotides sequentially into a nanopore, and detecting them with an electrical current meter may seem an unlikely DNA-sequencing concept, but it is closer than ever to being a reality.
See C&EN, March 9, 2009 and Nature Nanotechnology, DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2009.12.
NEWSWORTHY
1. AUSTRALIAN TRADE UNION DEMAND NANO-REGISTRY
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is calling for a mandatory national register of who is importing, manufacturing, supplying and selling nanomaterials.
See Sydney Morning News, April 13, 2009.
2. PRINTABLE ELECTRONICS
Researchers from ETH
See Nanowerk, April 24, 2009.
3. FLEXIBLE BATTERIES USING VIRUSES
Researchers at MIT use viruses to build both the positively and negatively charged ends of a battery, the cathode and anode. The virus was coaxed into binding with iron phosphate and then carbon nanotubes to create a highly conductive material. While the prototype battery is currently the size of a coin, the scientists believe it can be scaled and be used to create flexible batteries that can take the shape of their container, which is perfect for mobile or small devices.
See BBC News, April 2, 2009.
4A. SOLAR CELLS USING DIATOMS
Researchers at OSU and Portland State U have created a new way to make "dye-sensitized" solar cells using diatoms, in which photons bounce around like they were in a pinball machine, striking these dyes and producing electricity. This technology may be slightly more expensive than some existing approaches to make dye-sensitized solar cells, but can potentially triple the electrical output.
See Science Daily, April 9, 2009.
4B. SOLAR ADVANCES USING RESIDUE
Researcher from Northeastern U and NIST discovered, serendipitously, that a residue of a process used to build arrays of titania nanotubes-a residue that wasn't even noticed before this-plays an important role in improving the performance of the nanotubes in solar cells that produce hydrogen gas from water. By controlling the deposition of potassium on the surface of the nanotubes, engineers can achieve significant energy savings in a promising new alternate energy system.
See AtoZ Nano, April 24, 2009.
5. GAS STORAGE
Researchers at the Ural Division of the
See NanotechWeb, March 17, 2009.
6. OIL FROM ALGAE
Researchers from
See AtoZ Nano, April 24, 2009.
7. NANO-AVIATION
Researchers from
See Blog Wired, April 24, 2009
8. LISTERIA SENSOR
Researchers from Purdue and IIT are reporting development of a new biosensor for use in a faster, more sensitive test for detecting the deadliest strain of Listeria food poisoning bacteria.
See Nanowerk, April 22, 2009
and
Analytical Chemsitry, March 24, 2009.
9. SILVER WORKING GROUP
The Silver Institute and the Silver Research Consortium announced the formation of the Silver Nanotechnology Working Group (SNWG). The SNWG is an industry effort intended to foster the collection of data on silver nanotechnology in order to advance the science and public understanding of the beneficial uses of silver nanoparticles in a wide-range of consumer and industrial products
See AtoZ Nano, April 24, 2009.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
EU “NO DATA, NO MARKET”
The European Parliament's environment committee this week adopted a report by Swedish Green MEP Carl Schlyter which calls for tighter controls on nanotechnology, including the application of the 'no data, no market' principle contained in the REACH Directive. The own-initiative, non-binding report calls for products containing nanotechnology which are already on the market to be withdrawn until safety assessments can be made.
See EuroActiv, April 2, 2009.
EU FUNDS PPPs FOR GREEN REVOLUTION 2
€1.2 billion will be earmarked for R&D as part of the Factories for the Future programme; €1 billion will be dedicated to researching energy efficient buildings; and the much-vaunted Green Car Initiative is worth a total of €5 billion. The first calls for research projects linked to these PPPs are expected in July 2009, with the Commission keen to see the first projects underway in spring 2010.
See EuChemMS
According to Canwest News Service, a state-owned Russian venture capital fund is poised to pump millions of dollars into
See Canwest News, April 13, 2009.
CLINICAL STUDY ANNOUNCED
NanoBio Corp. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the Phase 1 clinical study of NB-1008, a seasonal influenza vaccine administered via a nasal dropper.
See Nanowerk, April 24, 2009.
CANCER AND GOLD NANORODS
Researcher at U Missouri announced a systematic investigation on the design and development of targeted gold nanorods. A recent result of this work has been the design of a novel peptide-based nanovector for carrying drug payloads to cancer sites.
See Nanowerk, April 15, 2009 and Nano Letters, April 7, 2009
MELANOMA RESEARCH USING GOLD NANOSPHERES.
UC Santa Cruz, Berkeley, and the Houston MD Anderson Cancer Center in
See NanotechWeb. April 24, 2009.
DRUG DELIVERY RESEARCH
Researchers at Brown U have come up with a means for delivering the cancer-fighting drug cisplatin directly to tumor cells in breast-cancer patients. The researchers created a dumbbell-like twin nanoparticle by attaching a gold nanoparticle to an iron-oxide nanoparticle.
See NanotechWeb. April 24, 2009. and J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131 4216.
A Purdue team reported similar findings combining gold nanorods with magnetic iron-oxide particles.
See NanotechWeb. April 24, 2009 and Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 48 2759.
BREAST CANCER BIOMARKERS
Researchers at Duke U have demonstrated multiplexed detection of breast cancer biomarkers using structures dubbed "molecular sentinel" (MS) nanoprobes.
See NanotechWeb, May 19, 2009.and Nanotechnology. February 11, 2009.
ORTHOPEDICS AND DENTISTRY DRUG DELIVERY
Titanium dioxide nanotubes might be incorporated into orthopaedic or dental implants to deliver drugs in a local area over a period of several weeks. So say researchers at the universities of
See NanotechWeb, April 3, 2009.
NANOGENERATORS
Researchers at Georgia Tech and U Wisconsin-Madison announced an advance in nanogenerators. Nanoscale generators can turn ambient mechanical energy--vibrations, fluid flow, and even biological movement—into a power source. Now researchers have combined a nanogenerator with a solar cell to create an integrated mechanical- and solar-energy-harvesting device.
See Technology Review, April 9, 2009.
NCSU
Researchers from
See NanotechWeb, April 24, 2009 and Nanotechnology.
CHEMICAL SENSORS
See Science Daily, April 13, 2009.
NO MORE PAINFUL INJECTIONS
The end of deep, painful vaccine injections is in sight. One of the first widespread applications of nanotechnology in medicine could be a painless, needle-free vaccine "nanopatch" being developed by Australian scientists.
See Sydney Morning News, April 23, 2009
NEW BOOK ON COMMUNICATION AND NANO
The book, entitled Nanotechnology, Risk and Communication (published by Palgrave Macmillan 2009) analyses the way the traditional media has covered the early development of nanotechnology. It also uses that coverage to contribute to the debate about the effectiveness of scientists and journalists in communicating science-related stories to the wider public. The book is co-authored by Stuart Allan of
See AtoZ Nano, April 23, 2009.
INDIAN NANO DEGREE
See The Times of
I am struggling to keep up.
SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ 033109
SORRY for the delay but I have been all over the place. Went to DC for a SRA meeting on Regulatory Impact Analysis and to Chicago for a meeting of the International Food Information Council Foundation Trustees meeting. I spoke (officially) in Chicago.
The nano-frontier is still pretty wild and I hope to run out some data we recently compiled on experts and their understanding of nanoparticles very soon. Some of the findings were leaked at the IFIC meeting and you can find that at our web site (pcost.org).
As for March 2009, we have nine (9) notable and a smattering of honorable mentions.
1. TOXICITY TESTING QUANDARY
U. Minnesota and U. British Columbia researchers reported if all existing nanomaterials were to be tested for toxicity, it would cost U.S. industries between $249 million and $1.18 billion, but the testing could take as long as 53 years at current levels of investment. Does this mean we need a bigger investment in toxicity testing or find new ways to test nanomaterials or both? (See ES&T DOI 10.1021/es802388s)
2. NEW WAY TO TEST FOR INHALATION
Scientists at the University of Bern and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich designed a sealed glove box system where nanoparticles are simultaneously made in aerosol form and then deposited onto lung tissue cells.
3. GREEN NANOMATERIALS
Researchers are creating green nanomaterials, with an eye toward their hazards as well as cleanup potentials and pitfalls. (See ES&T, 43:5, 2009, 1247-1249)
4A. CANCER GENE THERAPY
Cancer Research UK scientists have for the first time developed a treatment that transports 'tumor busting' genes selectively to cancer cells (mice study).
4B. MORE CANCER GENE THERAPY
U London School of Pharmacy reports a way to switch off cancer-causing genes and trigger cell death. It is based on nanotubes used to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) directly into the tumor mass, which it is hoped will have a significant impact in the battle against lung cancer.
5. PESTICIDE APPLICATIONS
Cornell U researchers how found a way to apply pesticides by encapsulating them in biodegradable nanofibers, which keeps then intact until needed and minimizes loss to drift or being washed away from the plants they are intended to protect.
6. GATES FOUNDATION AND NSF
The Gates Foundation money will be used to bring in researchers from around the world, particularly developing countries. The new program is called BREAD, Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development. NSF Program Director Deborah Delmer said it will cast a wide net for new ideas and approaches to common problems like poor soil quality, crops that spoil during storage and plant strains that wilt in today's heat — and may fare even worse as climate change raises the planet's temperature.
7. FDA – TEXAS CONSORTIUM ANNOUNCED
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the creation of a nanotechnology initiative in collaboration with the eight Texas academic institutions that make up the Houston-based Alliance for NanoHealth. (These include Rice U, the U of Texas, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.)
8. EU COSMETICS REGULATIONS ON THE HORIZON
Parliament approved an update of EU legislation on cosmetics when it votes on a first-reading agreement thrashed out between EP and Council representatives. The basic aim of the new regulation is to remove legal uncertainties and inconsistencies, while increasing the safety of cosmetics. Parliament's amendments add further improvements, especially regarding the claims companies make for their products and the safety of nanomaterials used in cosmetics.
9. SUNSCREENS ALLEGATIONS
U Toledo researchers found nano-titanium dioxide used in personal care products reduced biological roles of bacteria after less than an hour of exposure. Utah State U and U Utah researchers found beneficial soil bacteria cannot tolerate silver, copper oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles. Both presented at ACS meeting in Salt Lake City.
HONORABLE MENTION
PAPER FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Kyoto University researchers made transparent paper from nanosized cellulose fibers (renewable) as alternative to glass and polymers in electronic devices. Findings were presented at the Salt Lake ACS meeting.
EU NANOFOOD CONCERNS
In a legislative report dealing with an update of the EU rules on novel foods, the European Parliament calls on the Commission to interdict the placing on the market of food derived from cloned animals and their descendants. MEPs also want food being produced by nanotechnology processes to undergo a specific risk assessment before being approved for use and be labeled.
SAUDIS NEW NANO COMPANY
Saudis open the Saudi Nanotechnology Company. According to chairman Prince Bader Bin Saud said the firm would provide the Kingdom with a means of keeping pace with worldwide developments in nanotechnology, rather than it having to rely on foreign research.
HYPE ALERT
Check the Mental Floss website, for How to Destroy Civilization with Nanotechnology" directed by Ransom Riggs. WIRED Science reports: Several teams of social scientists are hard at work, trying to answer that question, and movies like this could turn their world upside down. Nice rhetoric but hardly.
TUNNELING NANOTUBES
Glowing infectious proteins called prions move through a network of mouse brain cells linked by tunneling nanotubes. Experiments are revealing that the tiny threads ferry both beneficial and harmful cargo between cells.
CHINA’S NANO-SPEAKERS
Tsinghua U. used a slim film of see-through plastic to transform almost any surface into an auditorium. It is made from nanocarbon tubes which, when heated, make the air around them vibrate, producing the sound.
NANOLUB
NanoLub has produced a nanotechnology-based (tungsten disulfide)lubricant which can enhance compression efficiency and a reduction of over 5% in fuel consumption of the vehicles.
The nano-frontier is still pretty wild and I hope to run out some data we recently compiled on experts and their understanding of nanoparticles very soon. Some of the findings were leaked at the IFIC meeting and you can find that at our web site (pcost.org).
As for March 2009, we have nine (9) notable and a smattering of honorable mentions.
1. TOXICITY TESTING QUANDARY
U. Minnesota and U. British Columbia researchers reported if all existing nanomaterials were to be tested for toxicity, it would cost U.S. industries between $249 million and $1.18 billion, but the testing could take as long as 53 years at current levels of investment. Does this mean we need a bigger investment in toxicity testing or find new ways to test nanomaterials or both? (See ES&T DOI 10.1021/es802388s)
2. NEW WAY TO TEST FOR INHALATION
Scientists at the University of Bern and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich designed a sealed glove box system where nanoparticles are simultaneously made in aerosol form and then deposited onto lung tissue cells.
3. GREEN NANOMATERIALS
Researchers are creating green nanomaterials, with an eye toward their hazards as well as cleanup potentials and pitfalls. (See ES&T, 43:5, 2009, 1247-1249)
4A. CANCER GENE THERAPY
Cancer Research UK scientists have for the first time developed a treatment that transports 'tumor busting' genes selectively to cancer cells (mice study).
4B. MORE CANCER GENE THERAPY
U London School of Pharmacy reports a way to switch off cancer-causing genes and trigger cell death. It is based on nanotubes used to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) directly into the tumor mass, which it is hoped will have a significant impact in the battle against lung cancer.
5. PESTICIDE APPLICATIONS
Cornell U researchers how found a way to apply pesticides by encapsulating them in biodegradable nanofibers, which keeps then intact until needed and minimizes loss to drift or being washed away from the plants they are intended to protect.
6. GATES FOUNDATION AND NSF
The Gates Foundation money will be used to bring in researchers from around the world, particularly developing countries. The new program is called BREAD, Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development. NSF Program Director Deborah Delmer said it will cast a wide net for new ideas and approaches to common problems like poor soil quality, crops that spoil during storage and plant strains that wilt in today's heat — and may fare even worse as climate change raises the planet's temperature.
7. FDA – TEXAS CONSORTIUM ANNOUNCED
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the creation of a nanotechnology initiative in collaboration with the eight Texas academic institutions that make up the Houston-based Alliance for NanoHealth. (These include Rice U, the U of Texas, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.)
8. EU COSMETICS REGULATIONS ON THE HORIZON
Parliament approved an update of EU legislation on cosmetics when it votes on a first-reading agreement thrashed out between EP and Council representatives. The basic aim of the new regulation is to remove legal uncertainties and inconsistencies, while increasing the safety of cosmetics. Parliament's amendments add further improvements, especially regarding the claims companies make for their products and the safety of nanomaterials used in cosmetics.
9. SUNSCREENS ALLEGATIONS
U Toledo researchers found nano-titanium dioxide used in personal care products reduced biological roles of bacteria after less than an hour of exposure. Utah State U and U Utah researchers found beneficial soil bacteria cannot tolerate silver, copper oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles. Both presented at ACS meeting in Salt Lake City.
HONORABLE MENTION
PAPER FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Kyoto University researchers made transparent paper from nanosized cellulose fibers (renewable) as alternative to glass and polymers in electronic devices. Findings were presented at the Salt Lake ACS meeting.
EU NANOFOOD CONCERNS
In a legislative report dealing with an update of the EU rules on novel foods, the European Parliament calls on the Commission to interdict the placing on the market of food derived from cloned animals and their descendants. MEPs also want food being produced by nanotechnology processes to undergo a specific risk assessment before being approved for use and be labeled.
SAUDIS NEW NANO COMPANY
Saudis open the Saudi Nanotechnology Company. According to chairman Prince Bader Bin Saud said the firm would provide the Kingdom with a means of keeping pace with worldwide developments in nanotechnology, rather than it having to rely on foreign research.
HYPE ALERT
Check the Mental Floss website, for How to Destroy Civilization with Nanotechnology" directed by Ransom Riggs. WIRED Science reports: Several teams of social scientists are hard at work, trying to answer that question, and movies like this could turn their world upside down. Nice rhetoric but hardly.
TUNNELING NANOTUBES
Glowing infectious proteins called prions move through a network of mouse brain cells linked by tunneling nanotubes. Experiments are revealing that the tiny threads ferry both beneficial and harmful cargo between cells.
CHINA’S NANO-SPEAKERS
Tsinghua U. used a slim film of see-through plastic to transform almost any surface into an auditorium. It is made from nanocarbon tubes which, when heated, make the air around them vibrate, producing the sound.
NANOLUB
NanoLub has produced a nanotechnology-based (tungsten disulfide)lubricant which can enhance compression efficiency and a reduction of over 5% in fuel consumption of the vehicles.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
BERUBE IS BACK
I am back from a period of writing a set of grant proposals for the NIH Challenge and another NSF NUE proposal, working on many articles and a new book, and moving to a new place in Raleigh. I will continue my posts very soon. Thanks for your interest. My book Nanohype will be released in Japanese soon.
I will be in DC on June 21-23 for a Society for Risk Analysis meeting on Risk and in Chicago on June 23-24 for a meeting of the International Food Information Council. In addition, the data from our expert Delphi survey on nanoparticles and toxicology is being comprised and the final round of the Delphi is due next week. We should have much to report in the fall.
I will be in DC on June 21-23 for a Society for Risk Analysis meeting on Risk and in Chicago on June 23-24 for a meeting of the International Food Information Council. In addition, the data from our expert Delphi survey on nanoparticles and toxicology is being comprised and the final round of the Delphi is due next week. We should have much to report in the fall.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ 031909
There were over seven notable events and many honorable mentions.
1. NANO BIOFUELS – QuantumSphere, Inc. today announced that it was awarded a research grant from the California Energy Commission to develop a process using nanocatalysts to convert biomass into biofuels (see http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9404.php).
2. EFSA NANOFOOD REPORT – The European Food Safety Authority has concluded its assessment of the potential risks of nanotechnologies for food and feed, stating that a cautious, case-by-case approach is needed as many uncertainties remain over its safe use (see http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/EFSA-publishes-final-nano-risk-opinion).
3. JAPANESE GUIDELINES – The Japanese Ministry of the Environment released guidelines on March 10, 2009, with the intent of reducing the risk of environmental harm from nanomaterials (see http://www.merid.org/NDN/more.php?id=1770).
4. RUSSIA TAKES ACTION ON NANOSAFETY – The Russian agency for Health and Consumer Rights and the Russian Corporation for Nanotechnologies signed an agreement to provide mutual systematic, scientific and technical support in validation and confirmation of nanoproducts safety, implementation of nanotechnologies and creation of nanotechnological production (see http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=10072).
5. NANO – ENERGY (FOUR reports).
a. EMISSIONS BASED ENERGY – Very interesting piece on turning emissions of Co2 into using carbon nanotubes. U. Messina team describes the process in length (see http://ec.europa.eu/research/research-eu/57/article_5727_en.html).
b. NANO METHANE - A Penn State team wants to use captures CO2 to produce methane. The process involves used arrays of nitrogen-doped titania nanotubes (see http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=10144).
c. NANO SOLAR – Researchers at Canada's National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) and the University of Alberta have engineered an approach that is leading to improved performance of plastic solar cells (hybrid organic solar cells) (see http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=10100).
d. NANO-ETHANOL – A Iowa State University researchers are working to produce clean, renewable energy by developing a new, low-emissions burner and a new catalyst for ethanol production using carbon based nanoparticles (see http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9568.php).
6. IMPACT OF TOXICITY TESTING – Interesting article on the costs of toxicity testing for regulation. “for the United States that costs for testing existing nanoparticles ranges from $249 million for optimistic assumptions about nanoparticle hazards (i.e., they are primarily safe and mainly require simpler screening assays) to $1.18 billion for a more comprehensive precautionary approach” (see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/es802388s).
7. FDA INITIATIVE IN NANOMEDICINE – The FDA announced the creation of a nanotechnology initiative in collaboration with the eight Texas academic institutions that make up the Houston-based Alliance for NanoHealth. The FDA's announcement describes the initiative's goal as "to help speed development of safe and effective medical products.” This is something worth watching (see http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/23103/).
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• AFRICA-JAPAN EFFORT – South Africa and Japan discussing cooperation on biosciences, energy, climate change, space science, astronomy and nanotechnology (see http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200902231286.html).
• OECD VISION PAPER – The Business and Industry Advisory Committee's Expert Group on Nanotechnology recently issued a "vision paper" with the above title, with the goal of identifying "strategic priorities from the perspective of the OECD Business Community (see http://www.biac.org/statements/nanotech/FIN09-01_Nanotechnology_Vision_Paper.pdf).
• LIFE CYCLE STUDY – Ohio State researchers completed a study on the life cycle energetic implications of carbon nanofiber reinforced polymer nanocomposite materials (see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es802101x).
• NANO RAINMAKING – Researchers at the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) at UCL have discovered a novel one dimensional ice chain structure built from pentagons that may prove to be a step toward the development of new materials which can be used to seed clouds and cause rain (see http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9536.php).
• NANO AIDS TREATMENT? – Hungary’s Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. announced its DermaVir Patch, a nanomedicine grounded treatment for HIV/AIDS. "Proof of concept" for the immunological and antiviral activities of Genetic Immunity's product was demonstrated in infected macaques, some of them with advanced stages of AIDS (see http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0477678.htm).
• INDIA SEES A WAY OUT OF THE RECESSION WITH NANO – An interesting spin on the new technology (see http://www.sakaaltimes.com/2009/03/11115048/NANOTECH-A-BIG-WAY-TO-BEAT-RE.html
• PLANT UPTAKE – Clemson team reporting on research studying the uptake of nanoparticles by rice plants (see http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=9516.php).
• NANO-PLUMBING – Duke U. engineers demonstrate carbon buckyballs may be able to keep the nation's water pipes clear in the same way clot-busting drugs prevent arteries from clogging up (see http://www.physorg.com/news155457592.html).
• AIRPLANE SAFETY – MIT team argues nanocarbon tubes stitched together to produce aerospace materials could make airplane skins and other products some 10 times stronger at a nominal increase in cost (see http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=32334).
• GREEN NANO – Interesting ES&T article on the promises of green nanotechnology (see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es900021v).
• REGULATION DISSERTATION – Hansen’s (from DTU) dissertation is available for download. I have been watching Steffan’s work for some time now. He is a bright young mind in the nano SEIN field. (see http://www.nanolawreport.com/Steffen%20Foss%20Hansen%20PhD%20Thesis%20web-version.pdf).
• BIOMASS TO PRODUCE CARBONTUBE – Japanese team developed a new method for producing ultra-lightweight hollow carbon fine particles from lignin (see http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9480.php).
1. NANO BIOFUELS – QuantumSphere, Inc. today announced that it was awarded a research grant from the California Energy Commission to develop a process using nanocatalysts to convert biomass into biofuels (see http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9404.php).
2. EFSA NANOFOOD REPORT – The European Food Safety Authority has concluded its assessment of the potential risks of nanotechnologies for food and feed, stating that a cautious, case-by-case approach is needed as many uncertainties remain over its safe use (see http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/EFSA-publishes-final-nano-risk-opinion).
3. JAPANESE GUIDELINES – The Japanese Ministry of the Environment released guidelines on March 10, 2009, with the intent of reducing the risk of environmental harm from nanomaterials (see http://www.merid.org/NDN/more.php?id=1770).
4. RUSSIA TAKES ACTION ON NANOSAFETY – The Russian agency for Health and Consumer Rights and the Russian Corporation for Nanotechnologies signed an agreement to provide mutual systematic, scientific and technical support in validation and confirmation of nanoproducts safety, implementation of nanotechnologies and creation of nanotechnological production (see http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=10072).
5. NANO – ENERGY (FOUR reports).
a. EMISSIONS BASED ENERGY – Very interesting piece on turning emissions of Co2 into using carbon nanotubes. U. Messina team describes the process in length (see http://ec.europa.eu/research/research-eu/57/article_5727_en.html).
b. NANO METHANE - A Penn State team wants to use captures CO2 to produce methane. The process involves used arrays of nitrogen-doped titania nanotubes (see http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=10144).
c. NANO SOLAR – Researchers at Canada's National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) and the University of Alberta have engineered an approach that is leading to improved performance of plastic solar cells (hybrid organic solar cells) (see http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=10100).
d. NANO-ETHANOL – A Iowa State University researchers are working to produce clean, renewable energy by developing a new, low-emissions burner and a new catalyst for ethanol production using carbon based nanoparticles (see http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9568.php).
6. IMPACT OF TOXICITY TESTING – Interesting article on the costs of toxicity testing for regulation. “for the United States that costs for testing existing nanoparticles ranges from $249 million for optimistic assumptions about nanoparticle hazards (i.e., they are primarily safe and mainly require simpler screening assays) to $1.18 billion for a more comprehensive precautionary approach” (see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/es802388s).
7. FDA INITIATIVE IN NANOMEDICINE – The FDA announced the creation of a nanotechnology initiative in collaboration with the eight Texas academic institutions that make up the Houston-based Alliance for NanoHealth. The FDA's announcement describes the initiative's goal as "to help speed development of safe and effective medical products.” This is something worth watching (see http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/23103/).
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• AFRICA-JAPAN EFFORT – South Africa and Japan discussing cooperation on biosciences, energy, climate change, space science, astronomy and nanotechnology (see http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200902231286.html).
• OECD VISION PAPER – The Business and Industry Advisory Committee's Expert Group on Nanotechnology recently issued a "vision paper" with the above title, with the goal of identifying "strategic priorities from the perspective of the OECD Business Community (see http://www.biac.org/statements/nanotech/FIN09-01_Nanotechnology_Vision_Paper.pdf).
• LIFE CYCLE STUDY – Ohio State researchers completed a study on the life cycle energetic implications of carbon nanofiber reinforced polymer nanocomposite materials (see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es802101x).
• NANO RAINMAKING – Researchers at the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) at UCL have discovered a novel one dimensional ice chain structure built from pentagons that may prove to be a step toward the development of new materials which can be used to seed clouds and cause rain (see http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9536.php).
• NANO AIDS TREATMENT? – Hungary’s Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. announced its DermaVir Patch, a nanomedicine grounded treatment for HIV/AIDS. "Proof of concept" for the immunological and antiviral activities of Genetic Immunity's product was demonstrated in infected macaques, some of them with advanced stages of AIDS (see http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0477678.htm).
• INDIA SEES A WAY OUT OF THE RECESSION WITH NANO – An interesting spin on the new technology (see http://www.sakaaltimes.com/2009/03/11115048/NANOTECH-A-BIG-WAY-TO-BEAT-RE.html
• PLANT UPTAKE – Clemson team reporting on research studying the uptake of nanoparticles by rice plants (see http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=9516.php).
• NANO-PLUMBING – Duke U. engineers demonstrate carbon buckyballs may be able to keep the nation's water pipes clear in the same way clot-busting drugs prevent arteries from clogging up (see http://www.physorg.com/news155457592.html).
• AIRPLANE SAFETY – MIT team argues nanocarbon tubes stitched together to produce aerospace materials could make airplane skins and other products some 10 times stronger at a nominal increase in cost (see http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=32334).
• GREEN NANO – Interesting ES&T article on the promises of green nanotechnology (see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es900021v).
• REGULATION DISSERTATION – Hansen’s (from DTU) dissertation is available for download. I have been watching Steffan’s work for some time now. He is a bright young mind in the nano SEIN field. (see http://www.nanolawreport.com/Steffen%20Foss%20Hansen%20PhD%20Thesis%20web-version.pdf).
• BIOMASS TO PRODUCE CARBONTUBE – Japanese team developed a new method for producing ultra-lightweight hollow carbon fine particles from lignin (see http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9480.php).
Thursday, March 5, 2009
SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ 030109
Week of March 1, 2009
There were 7 major events and many honorable mentions.
1. FOOD STORAGE MATERIAL SILVER NANOPARTICLES INTERFERES WITH DNA – teams from Taijin and Jiaotong Universities found that silver nanomaterials can directly interact with genomes. Reported in online edition of Nanotechnology (02/02/09) (http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0957-4484/20/8/085102).
2. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE AMENDMENTS (H.R. 554) PASSES THE HOUSE (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-02/poen-sdh021109.php).
3. NANO REGULATION BROUHAHA IN EUROPE - The European Parliament currently is drafting a report on regulatory aspects of nanomaterials (http://www.bioworld.com/servlet/com.accumedia.web.Dispatcher?next=bioWorldHeadlines_article&forceid=50024) AND the European Commission's independent Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) publishes its opinion on the most recent developments in the risk assessment of nanomaterials (http://www.flex-news-food.com/pages/22145/Additive/European-Commission/ecs-scientific-committee-adopts-opinion-assessing-risks-nanotechnology.html).
4. EPA TO ENFORCE PREMANUFACTURE REVIEWS FOR CARBON NANOTUBES (http://www.merid.org/NDN/more.php?id=1728).
5. TA-SWISS NANOFOOD STUDY released with recommendation on regulation and transparency (http://www.ta-swiss.ch/a/nano_nafo/MedienmitteilungNanoLebensmittel_e.pdf).
6. FP7 FramingNano REPORT released. The report gives an insight on the international debate on risks and concerns related to nanotechnologies (EHS issues and ELSI), and provides an ample overview of the different regulatory approaches proposed or already developed to deal with these issues (http://www.nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=7432).
7. TOP TEN REASONS FOR USING NANOTECH IN FOOD (http://dsc.discovery.com/technology/tech-10/top-10-nanotechnology-food.html).
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• Drug delivery – team designed polymeric nanoparticles for cancer drug delivery. –J. Am. Chem Soc. DOI;10.1021/ja807416t AND Applied Pharma Research s.a. ("APR") announces the acquisition of a new platform technology consisting of a patented nanocoating process for the preparation of new patent protected biotechnology products for the treatment of several critical diseases in multiple therapeutic areas (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/139668.php) AND Researchers at North Carolina State University have successfully modified a common plant virus to deliver drugs only to specific cells inside the human body, without affecting surrounding tissue (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212125139.htm).
• Important Nano and Developing Countries report – Schumacher Centre for Technology and Development Report – with Nano-Dialogues in Zimbabwe in new book NANOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS FOR CLEAN WATER (ISBN-13: 978-0-8155-1578-4).
• Current-carrying capacity of the nanotubes enhanced by U. Illinois team (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090209110644.htm).
• Ohio State University team traces typical life cycle of polymer nanocomposite (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es802101x).
• Researchers at Stanford University have made several new PEGylated surfactants capable of suspending nanomaterials in aqueous solution (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja809086q?prevSearch=[author%3A+hongjie+dai]&searchHistoryKey=).
• New Zealand team used nanoparticles to coat paper to produce magnetic, electrically conductive or optically active specialist paper products (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0902/S00038.htm).
• Texas A&M team researching PADLOC is what they have already named the futuristic kit – Pathogen Detection Lab-On-a-Chip (http://www.physorg.com/news154628642.html).
• Tel Aviv University team developed a nano-sized laboratory, complete with a microscopic workbench, to measure water quality in real time. Their “lab on a chip” is a breakthrough in the effort to keep water safe from pollution and bioterrorist threats (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217125732.htm).
There were 7 major events and many honorable mentions.
1. FOOD STORAGE MATERIAL SILVER NANOPARTICLES INTERFERES WITH DNA – teams from Taijin and Jiaotong Universities found that silver nanomaterials can directly interact with genomes. Reported in online edition of Nanotechnology (02/02/09) (http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0957-4484/20/8/085102).
2. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE AMENDMENTS (H.R. 554) PASSES THE HOUSE (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-02/poen-sdh021109.php).
3. NANO REGULATION BROUHAHA IN EUROPE - The European Parliament currently is drafting a report on regulatory aspects of nanomaterials (http://www.bioworld.com/servlet/com.accumedia.web.Dispatcher?next=bioWorldHeadlines_article&forceid=50024) AND the European Commission's independent Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) publishes its opinion on the most recent developments in the risk assessment of nanomaterials (http://www.flex-news-food.com/pages/22145/Additive/European-Commission/ecs-scientific-committee-adopts-opinion-assessing-risks-nanotechnology.html).
4. EPA TO ENFORCE PREMANUFACTURE REVIEWS FOR CARBON NANOTUBES (http://www.merid.org/NDN/more.php?id=1728).
5. TA-SWISS NANOFOOD STUDY released with recommendation on regulation and transparency (http://www.ta-swiss.ch/a/nano_nafo/MedienmitteilungNanoLebensmittel_e.pdf).
6. FP7 FramingNano REPORT released. The report gives an insight on the international debate on risks and concerns related to nanotechnologies (EHS issues and ELSI), and provides an ample overview of the different regulatory approaches proposed or already developed to deal with these issues (http://www.nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=7432).
7. TOP TEN REASONS FOR USING NANOTECH IN FOOD (http://dsc.discovery.com/technology/tech-10/top-10-nanotechnology-food.html).
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• Drug delivery – team designed polymeric nanoparticles for cancer drug delivery. –J. Am. Chem Soc. DOI;10.1021/ja807416t AND Applied Pharma Research s.a. ("APR") announces the acquisition of a new platform technology consisting of a patented nanocoating process for the preparation of new patent protected biotechnology products for the treatment of several critical diseases in multiple therapeutic areas (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/139668.php) AND Researchers at North Carolina State University have successfully modified a common plant virus to deliver drugs only to specific cells inside the human body, without affecting surrounding tissue (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212125139.htm).
• Important Nano and Developing Countries report – Schumacher Centre for Technology and Development Report – with Nano-Dialogues in Zimbabwe in new book NANOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS FOR CLEAN WATER (ISBN-13: 978-0-8155-1578-4).
• Current-carrying capacity of the nanotubes enhanced by U. Illinois team (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090209110644.htm).
• Ohio State University team traces typical life cycle of polymer nanocomposite (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es802101x).
• Researchers at Stanford University have made several new PEGylated surfactants capable of suspending nanomaterials in aqueous solution (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja809086q?prevSearch=[author%3A+hongjie+dai]&searchHistoryKey=).
• New Zealand team used nanoparticles to coat paper to produce magnetic, electrically conductive or optically active specialist paper products (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0902/S00038.htm).
• Texas A&M team researching PADLOC is what they have already named the futuristic kit – Pathogen Detection Lab-On-a-Chip (http://www.physorg.com/news154628642.html).
• Tel Aviv University team developed a nano-sized laboratory, complete with a microscopic workbench, to measure water quality in real time. Their “lab on a chip” is a breakthrough in the effort to keep water safe from pollution and bioterrorist threats (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217125732.htm).
Monday, March 2, 2009
Nano Song with Puppets
I am working on my next blog of current events in nano when I came across this: The NanoSong with puppets.
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