A partnership of 25 scientists from The Burnham Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, and The Scripps Research Institute will use a $13 million NIH award to design nanotechnologies to detect, monitor, treat, and eliminate “vulnerable” plaque, the probable cause of death in sudden cardiac arrest. The project team will work on three innovative solutions… Continue reading Nanomachines to mount attack on atherosclerotic plaque
A new report on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks from nanotechnology: “Lux Research, one of a handful of investment advisory firms that focuses on nanotechnology companies, said corporations including Lockheed Martin and Kraft Foods Inc. spent $3.8 billion on nanotech research and development last year. Yet, it said corporate EHS officers are ‘mostly unaware… Continue reading Lux Research warns of nanotech risks
If you’re unsure about whether to buy the book Nanotech Fortunes: Make Yours in the Boom, you can wait for my review, or listen to this WallStreetReporter audio interview of the author. One point made is that he expects a series of booms and busts for the next 20 to 40 years. Sounds right to… Continue reading Nanotech Fortunes: Audio interview of the author
For those of us struggling to keep up with the very latest nanotech research: Get a quick intro of two key areas from the website of Harvard’s Prof. Charles Lieber, co-chair of this fall’s Foresight Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology research sessions. See the nanoelectronics animation on his homepage, and the nanosensing one here. Also on… Continue reading Nanosensing and nanoelectronic animations
From Physorg.com: “Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, and from eight other scientific institutions in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Italy have received 2 Million Euro from the European Union for research on “Active Biomimetic Systems”…One long term vision is the construction of nanorobots, which can perform work and other… Continue reading 2 million euros for biomolecular nanomachines
Just back from the INC1 conference on nanotechnology and the future of computer chips. Lots of great talks for those tracking this field. Favorites today: Paolo Gargini of Intel on roadmaps and Michiharu Nakamura of Hitachi on work in Japan. Mike Roco’s talk included 4th generation nanotech featuring robotics and guided assembly. Strong international participation… Continue reading Nanotech: the future of computer chips
It doesn’t quite meet the “under 100 nm” requirement, but the internal parts must: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a robot combined with a swallowable camera could give doctors a better look inside the small intestine. This medical robot, dubbed ‘bugbot,’ is being developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in its NanoRobotics Lab. It will… Continue reading Medical bugbot from CMU NanoRobotics Lab
Stacy Lawrence at Technology Review presents a graphic showing that knowledge and fear about nanotech anti-correlate: “In one survey, the more people knew about nanotech, the greater optimism they had about its potential benefits; the less knowledge, the more concern they had over potential risks.” I could not tell the source of this info; if… Continue reading Nanotech: more knowledge = less fear
On Mondaq (free reg required), Foley & Lardner has published a writeup on the first FDA approval of nanoparticulate drugs: “As nanotechnology companies emerge in the pharmaceutical market, they will have to develop the capability to navigate through the regulatory waters. Until recently, federal agencies had not faced the question of whether to approve a… Continue reading 1st Nanoparticulate drugs approved by FDA
David Berube at U. South Carolina, in an ongoing campaign against nanohype, has been looking into complaints by the ETC Group that a nanoparticle product was approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for use to prevent erosion on Taos Pueblo land in New Mexico. His conclusion: “a review of the actual event discredits their… Continue reading Nanoparticle-release complaint cast in doubt
