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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Environmental risks of nanotechnology: National Nanotechnology Initiative funding, 2000-2004.

By considering risk in the early stages of a technology, costs of identifying important health and environmental impacts after a technology has widely diffused can be avoided. Nanotechnology, involving materials and objects less than 100 nm in size, is an important case in point. In this paper we analyze the research priorities discussed by various interest groups concerned with the environmental risks of nanotechnology, evaluate the distribution of federal environmental nanotechnology R&D funding, and discuss research in this field. Overall federal environmental R&D funding to date is limited and focuses more on the positive environmental applications of nanotechnology than on basic knowledge/research, tools for nanoenvironmental research, or the potential risks of nanotechnology. The situation began to change in 2004 when a significant increase occurred in federal R&D funding for the environmental implications of engineered nanomaterials. Though literature exits on the exposure, transport, and toxicity of incidental nanoparticles, little work has been published on the environmental risks of engineered nanoparticles.

Financing, Government↗
PubMed2005

Patenting nanotechnology.

Universities and companies are rushing to the patent office in record numbers to patent nanotechnology inventions. This rush to the patent office is so significant that many law firms have established nanotechnology practice groups and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has now created a new technology class designed to track nanotechnology products. Three big differences between the emerging science of nanotechnology and other inventions make the role of patents more significant in this arena than elsewhere. First, this is almost the first new field in a century in which the basic ideas are being patented at the outset. In many of the most important fields of invention over the past century--computer hardware, software, the Internet, even biotechnology--the basic building blocks of the field were either unpatented or the patents were made available to all users by government regulation. In others, patents were delayed by interferences for so long that the industry developed free from their influence. In nanotechnology, by contrast, companies and universities alike are patenting early and often. A second factor distinguishing nanotechnology is its unique cross-industry structure. Unlike other new industries, in which the patentees are largely actual or at least potential participants in the market, a significant number of nanotechnology patentees will own rights not just in the industry in which they participate, but in other industries as well. This overlap may significantly affect their incentives to license the patents. Finally, a large number of the basic nanotechnology patents have been issued to universities, which have become far more active in patenting in the last twenty-five years. While universities have no direct incentive to restrict competition, their interests may or may not align with the optimal implementation of building-block nanotechnology inventions. The result is a nascent market in which a patent thicket is in theory a serious risk. Whether it will prove a problem in practice depends in large part on how efficient the licensing market turns out to be.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed2003

Recommendations of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Nanotechnology Working Group.

Recent rapid advances in nanotechnology and nanoscience offer a wealth of new opportunities for diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic diseases and sleep disorders. To review the challenges and opportunities offered by these nascent fields, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute convened a Working Group on Nanotechnology. Working Group participants discussed the various aspects of nanotechnology and its applications to heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) diseases. This report summarizes their discussions according to scientific opportunities, perceived needs and barriers, specific disease examples, and recommendations on facilitating research in the field. An overarching recommendation of the Working Group was to focus on translational applications of nanotechnology to solve clinical problems. The Working Group recommended the creation of multidisciplinary research centers capable of developing applications of nanotechnology and nanoscience to HLBS research and medicine. Centers would also disseminate technology, materials, and resources and train new investigators. Individual investigators outside these centers should be encouraged to conduct research on the application of nanotechnology to biological and clinical problems. Pilot programs and developmental research are needed to attract new investigators and to stimulate creative, high-impact research. Finally, encouragement of small businesses to develop nanotechnology-based approaches to clinical problems was considered important.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Towards the conscientious development of ethical nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology, the emerging capability of human beings to observe and organize matter at the atomic level, has captured the attention of the federal government, science and engineering communities, and the general public. Some proponents are referring to nanotechnology as "the next technological revolution". Applications projected for this new evolution in technology span a broad range from the design and fabrication of new membranes, to improved fuel cells, to sophisticated medical prosthesis techniques, to tiny intelligent machines whose impact on humankind is unknowable. As with the appropriation of technological innovation generally, nanotechnology is likely to eventually bring dramatic and unpredictable new capabilities to human material existence, along with resulting ethical challenges and social changes to be reconciled. But as of yet, aside from a few simple new consumer goods, such as paint, rackets and fabric coatings, nanotechnology is undeveloped. Its social and ethical dimensions are not apparent. Even still, given the stated goals of the various nanotechnology initiatives to rearrange matter with increasing atomic precision, the impact of nanotechnology on human life and society is likely be profound. It is very difficult, however, to make accurate predictions about the future impact of nanotechnology development on humanity. At this time, the most important role for ethics analysis is to contribute to a humanitarian, conscientious approach to its development. This paper suggests that such an approach requires that attention be given to the roles of imagination, meaning-making, metaphor, myth and belief.

Humans↗
PubMed2005

Nanotechnology--a new field of ethical inquiry?

Parallel to the public discussion on the benefits and risks of nanotechnology, a debate on the ethics of nanotechnology has begun. It has been postulated that a new "nano-ethics" is necessary. In this debate, the--positive as well as negative--visionary and speculative innovations which are brought into connection with nanotechnology stand in the foreground. In this contribution, an attempt is made to discover new ethical aspects of nanotechnology in a more systematic manner than has been the case. It turns out that there are hardly any completely new ethical aspects raised by nanotechnology. It is much rather primarily a case of gradual shifts of emphasis and of relevance in questions which, in principle, are already known and which give reason for ethical discussions on nanotechnology. In a certain manner, structurally novel ethical aspects arise through the important role played by visions in the public discourse. New questions are also posed by the fact that previously separate lines of ethical reflection converge in the field of nanotechnology. The proposal of an independent "nano-ethics", however, seems exaggerated.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Nanotechnology and medicine.

Nanotechnology, or systems/device manufacture at the molecular level, is a multidisciplinary scientific field undergoing explosive development. The genesis of nanotechnology can be traced to the promise of revolutionary advances across medicine, communications, genomics and robotics. On the surface, miniaturisation provides cost effective and more rapidly functioning mechanical, chemical and biological components. Less obvious though is the fact that nanometre sized objects also possess remarkable self-ordering and assembly behaviours under the control of forces quite different from macro objects. These unique behaviours are what make nanotechnology possible, and by increasing our understanding of these processes, new approaches to enhancing the quality of human life will surely be developed. A complete list of the potential applications of nanotechnology is too vast and diverse to discuss in detail, but without doubt one of the greatest values of nanotechnology will be in the development of new and effective medical treatments (i.e., nanomedicine). This review focuses on the potential of nanotechnology in medicine, including the development of nanoparticles for diagnostic and screening purposes, artificial receptors, DNA sequencing using nanopores, manufacture of unique drug delivery systems, gene therapy applications and the enablement of tissue engineering.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Nanotechnology: the next big thing, or much ado about nothing?

Nanotechnology encompasses an increasingly sophisticated ability to manipulate matter at the nanoscale, resulting in new materials, products and devices that demonstrate new and unusual behaviour. While emerging nanotechnologies have great potential for good, there are increasing concerns that the selfsame attributes that make them attractive will also lead to new risks to human health. Research to date suggests that some purposely made nanomaterials will present hazards based on their structure--as well as their chemistry--thus challenging many conventional approaches to risk assessment and management. People involved in making and using these materials need to know what the risks are and how to manage them, if safe nanotechnology-based businesses are to emerge. Yet the challenges faced by the occupational hygiene community in ensuring safe nano-workplaces are substantial. We currently know enough to suggest that some engineered nanomaterials will present new and unusual risks, but there is very little information on how these risks can be identified, assessed and controlled. And many nanomaterials are in production and use now. Good occupational hygiene practices and existing knowledge on working with hazardous substances provide a useful basis for working safely with nanomaterials. But where existing knowledge fails, new research is needed to fill the gaps: this must be strategically administered and targeted to addressing specific issues in a timely manner. Failing to take these steps will ultimately lead to people's health being endangered and emerging nanotechnologies floundering. However, with foresight, sound science and strategic research, we have the opportunity to ensure that emerging nanotechnologies are as safe as possible, while reaching their full potential.

Biological Science Disciplines↗
PubMed2007

Applications of nanotechnology in orthopaedics.

Nanotechnology is the application of science and engineering at the nanoscale. A diverse range of applications are beginning to emerge in all areas of medicine. We performed a survey from November 2005 to March 2006 using the Internet search engines PubMed, ScienceDirect, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar. We report on the role of nanotechnology in orthopaedics, exploring current and potential applications. Nanostructured materials have been proposed as the next generation of orthopaedic implant properties by creating a surface environment more conducive for osteoblast function. Bone substitute materials, whose nanoscale composition emulates the hierarchic organization of natural bone, shows initiation of the desirable formation of an apatite layer. Nanotechnology also has been harnessed to improve the cutting performance and quality of surgical blades. Postoperative infection rates may be reduced by using nanofibrous membrane wound dressings containing antibacterial properties. The most notable application of nanotechnology in orthopaedics may be drug delivery, including nanotherapeutics for treating bone cancer and arthritis. Nanotechnology is being used in orthopaedics, and likely will play a valuable role in future developments.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hub-based simulation and graphics hardware accelerated visualization for nanotechnology applications.

The Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) has developed a science gateway at nanoHUB.org for nanotechnology education and research. Remote users can browse through online seminars and courses, and launch sophisticated nanotechnology simulation tools, all within their web browser. Simulations are supported by a middleware that can route complex jobs to grid supercomputing resources. But what is truly unique about the middleware is the way that it uses hardware accelerated graphics to support both problem setup and result visualization. This paper describes the design and integration of a remote visualization framework into the nanoHUB for interactive visual analytics of nanotechnology simulations. Our services flexibly handle a variety of nanoscience simulations, render them utilizing graphics hardware acceleration in a scalable manner, and deliver them seamlessly through the middleware to the user. Rendering is done only on-demand, as needed, so each graphics hardware unit can simultaneously support many user sessions. Additionally, a novel node distribution scheme further improves our system's scalability. Our approach is not only efficient but also cost-effective. Only a half-dozen render nodes are anticipated to support hundreds of active tool sessions on the nanoHUB. Moreover, this architecture and visual analytics environment provides capabilities that can serve many areas of scientific simulation and analysis beyond nanotechnology with its ability to interactively analyze and visualize multivariate scalar and vector fields.

Computer Graphics↗
PubMed2005

Nanotechnology and public health.

Nanotechnology is developing very quickly, and Japan is in many respects leading the world in this convergence of nanoscale engineering techniques. The public health community in Japan must start to think about the public health impacts of nanotechnology over the next 20 years. The responsibility for the benefits and the harms of nanotechnology lies with government, with corporations and the business community, with scientists and specialists in all related fields, and with NPOs and the public. There are very many questions of public health which are not yet being asked about nanotechnology. If nanoparticles are to be used in cosmetics, food production and packaging, how will they react or interact with the human skin and organs? What chemical-toxic effects on life might there be from the nanoparticles in car tires and vehicle plastic mouldings when they are disposed of by incineration? Will they pass into the soil and groundwater and enter into the food-chain? It is now an urgent ethical demand, based on the precautionary principle, that Japan join the governments of the world to take an intergovernmental initiative to intervene in the further development, production and marketing of nanotechnological products with precautionary research and regulation.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

[Nanotechnology in medicine].

Nanotechnology will play a key role in the post-genome sequencing era, since even revolutionary methods will be able to develop on a nanodevice, and it is applicable to the analysis of DNA, mRNA, protein, and other biomolecules. Recent progress in nanotechnology based on nanofabrication, nanocoating, and molecular nanotechnology is expanding the possibility of nanobiotechnology from genomics and proteomics to medical applications, including preventive medicine based on point-of-care test. Nanotechnology including quantum dot, photonic crystal, DNA chip as well as biodevice is applied to the analysis of genome network in some disease related cells. Genes related to important biological function of cell are identified by stimulating with different drugs and the genome networks for these cell reactions are predicted by computer software. Nanotechnology has been proved to be extremely important for future personalized medicine and systems biology.

DNA↗
PubMed2006

Nanotechnologies in proteomics.

Progress in proteomic researches is largely determined by development and implementation of new methods for the revelation and identification of proteins in biological material in a wide concentration range (from 10(-3) M to single molecules). The most perspective approaches to address this problem involve (i) nanotechnological physicochemical procedures for the separation of multicomponent protein mixtures; among these of particular interest are biospecific nanotechnological procedures for selection of proteins from multicomponent protein mixtures with their subsequent concentration on solid support; (ii) identification and counting of single molecules by use of molecular detectors. The prototypes of biospecific nanotechnological procedures, based on the capture of ligand biomolecules by biomolecules of immobilized ligate and the concentration of the captured ligands on appropriate surfaces, are well known; these are affinity chromatography, magnetic biobeads technology, different biosensor methods, etc. Here, we review the most promising nanotechnological approaches for selection of proteins and kinetic characterization of their complexes based on these biospecific methods with subsequent MS/MS identification of proteins and protein complexes. Two major groups of methods for the analysis and identification of individual molecules and their complexes by use of molecular detectors will be reviewed: scanning probe microscopy (SPM) (including atomic-force microscopy) and cryomassdetector technology.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed2005

Nanotechnology approaches for the regeneration and neuroprotection of the central nervous system.

Nanotechnology is the science and engineering concerned with the design, synthesis, and characterization of materials and devices that have a functional organization in at least 1 dimension on the nanometer (ie, one-billionth of a meter) scale. The ability to manipulate and control engineered self-assembling (ie, self-organizing) substrates at these scales produces macroscopic physical and/or chemical properties in the bulk material not possessed by the constituent building block molecules alone. This in turn results in a degree of functional integration between the engineered substrates and cellular or physiological systems not previously attainable. Applied nanotechnology aimed at the regeneration and neuroprotection of the central nervous system (CNS) will significantly benefit from basic nanotechnology research conducted in parallel with advances in cell biology, neurophysiology, and neuropathology. Ultimately the goal is to develop novel technologies that directly or indirectly aid in providing neuroprotection and/or a permissive environment and active signaling cues for guided axon growth. In some cases, it is expected that the neurosurgeon will be required to administer these substrates to the patient. As such, in order for nanotechnology applications directed toward neurological disorders to develop to their fullest potential, it will be important for neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, and neurologists to participate and contribute to the scientific process alongside physical science and engineering colleagues. This review will focus on emerging clinical applications aimed at the regeneration and neuroprotection of the injured CNS, and discuss other platform technologies that have a significant potential for being adapted for clinical neuroscience applications.

Biomedical Engineering↗
PubMed2006

The promise of nanotechnology for heart, lung and blood diseases.

Nanotechnology offers a broad range of opportunities for improving the diagnosis and therapy for heart, lung and blood diseases, and drug delivery represents an area of particular promise. For cardiovascular disease, the treatment of atherosclerotic plaque and prevention of restenosis following stent placement offer attractive targets for nanotechnology. In lung disease, nanotechnology may provide novel treatments for a broad range of intractable pulmonary diseases, including bacterial biofilms, fungal infections, and tuberculosis. For haematopoietic diseases, targeted delivery of drugs to lymphocytes may represent a strategy for reducing systemic cytotoxicity. This editorial discusses some of the more promising targets for nanotechnology-based treatment of heart, lung and blood diseases.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2002

[The position and application of nanotechnology in the development of life science].

In this article, the position of nanotechnology and its effects on life science are concisely discussed, including the effects of nanotechnology on biology, on the study of new type biomaterials, on the development of new drugs, on diagnosis and therapy methods. The importance of nanotechnology in life science is summarized, and the application and development of nanotechnology in life science are also discussed.

Biocompatible Materials↗