Researchers at UCSF and UC Berkeley have found a way to combine a drug with a dendrimer to give a treatment that cures colon cancer in mice — in one treatment. From Phys.org: Single-Dose Drug-Loaded Dendrimer Cures Mice of Colon Cancer In a dramatic demonstration of the power of nanotechnology, a team of investigators has… Continue reading One-shot nanotechnology treatment *cures* colon cancer in mice
For decades we’ve heard of the horrific difficulty of the protein folding problem: how to go from knowledge of a linear sequence of amino acids to the three-dimensional structure of a folded, useful protein? This is needed if we are to use proteins to build 3D structures that we want for nanotechnology. From Physorg.com we… Continue reading Atomically-precise protein folding software aids nanotechnology
From Nature.com, news of nanotechnology advances at Hebrew University: Tiny machines that patrol the body for invaders are one of nanotechnology’s favourite dreams. But a device made from a single molecule by a team of researchers in Israel sounds remarkably similar. They have built a ‘DNA machine’ that detects a virus by reading its genome,… Continue reading Israel's nanotechnology DNA machine detects viruses
The competition must be fierce to be selected by the U.S. National Institutes of Health as one of four National Network of Nanomedicine Development Centers. Based on both this year’s and last year’s medical nanotech funding results, it helps to focus on molecular machines: 2006 Georgia Tech: Nanomedicine Center for Nucleoprotein Machines Purdue: Nanomotor Drug… Continue reading Nanomachines targeted for medical nanotechnology
First, the good news. Here’s an update from Physorg.com on the nanoactuator work reported previously. Not much new technical info, but new thoughts on cool applications: Researchers at the University of Portsmouth, UK, have developed an electronic switch based on DNA – a world-first bio-nanotechnology breakthrough that provides the foundation for the interface between living… Continue reading Patents on fundamental nanotechnology devices may slow progress
Eoin Clancy writes from the Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology at University of Newcastle: Recent paper published in Nano Letters “Medium Scale Integration of Molecular Logic Gates in an Automaton” by Joanne Macdonald et al. From the abstract: We now report a second-generation deoxyribozyme-based automaton, MAYA-II, which plays a complete game of tic-tac-toe according… Continue reading DNA does tic-tac-toe, molecular motors work together in nanotechnology
From the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards for 2006, MIT’s Angela Belcher and colleagues are using viruses to build at the molecular level: VIRAL MANUFACTURING Innovators: Angela Belcher, Yet-Ming Chiang, Paula Hammond MIT scientists reached a major nanotech milestone: re-engineering a virus to create a self-assembling product. THE GOAL OF nanofabrication is to make tiny machines… Continue reading Viruses begin to do nanotechnology construction at MIT
One of the top four nanotech articles highlighted in the first issue of Nature Nanotechnology is “Making Molecular Machines Work” by Wesley Browne and Ben Feringa. Full text of the article is free, at least for now. From the conclusions: The exquisite solutions nature has found to control molecular motion, evident in the fascinating biological… Continue reading Molecular machines highlighted in 1st issue of Nature Nanotechnology
The idea of a nanotech-based matter compiler began in the U.S., and we do some relevant computer modeling studies, but the U.K is pulling ahead toward actually building one. Twenty to thirty lucky researchers will gather on January 8-12, 2007, to brainstorm how to do this, after which the U.K. government will spend about US$… Continue reading UK pulling ahead on nanotechnology matter compiler
One of the cover stories in Machine Design is by Mark Sims, CEO of Nanorex, on nanotech molecular modeling in CAD (computer-aided design). For those of us who have already been tracking the field, the most exciting part is at the end: The software does not currently output data that could drive such machines as,… Continue reading Next hot job: Molecular engineer for nanotechnology
