NanoEthics (Volume 3, Number 3, December 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles include:

• “Moral Imagination, Trading Zones, and the Role of the Ethicist in Nanotechnology” by Michael E. Gorman, Patricia H. Werhane, and Nathan Swami; 185-195.
• “The Mind and the Machine. On the Conceptual and Moral Implications of Brain-Machine Interaction” by Maartje Schermer, 217-230.
• “Ambient Intelligence and Persuasive Technology: The Blurring Boundaries Between Human and Technology” by Peter-Paul Verbeek, 231-242.
• “Tensions and Opportunities in Convergence: Shifting Concepts of Disease in Emerging Molecular Medicine” by Marianne Boenink, 243-255.
• “Playing God in Frankenstein’s Foosteps: Synthetic Biology and the Meaning of Life” by Henk van den Belt, 257-268.

The Journal of Law, Medicine, & Ethics (Volume 37, Issue 4, Winter 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles include:

• “Commentary: Emerging Technologies Oversight: Research, Regulation, and Commercialization” by Robbin Johnson, 587-593.
  
• “Evaluating Oversight of Human Drugs and Medical Devices: A Case Study of the FDA and Implications for Nanobiotechnology” by Jordan Paradise, Alison W. Tisdale, Ralph F. Hall, and Efrosini Kokkoli; 598-624.
• “Gene Therapy Oversight: Lessons for Nanobiotechnology” by Susan M. Wolf, Rishi Gupta, and Peter Kohlhepp; 659-684.
• “Science, Ethics, and the ‘Problems’ of Governing Nanotechnologies” by Linda F. Hogle, 749-758.
• “Introduction: Comparative Health Law and Policy: What, If Anything, Can We Learn from Other Countries?” by Diane Hoffmann, 790-791.
• “Realization of the International Human Right to Health in an Economically Integrated North America” by Eleanor D. Kinney, 807-818.
• “Tobacco Industry Use of Corporate Social Responsibility Tactics as a Sword and a Shield on Secondhand Smoke Issues” Lissy C. Friedman, 819-827.

Nanotechnology is used in the development and manufacture of products in a number of different areas, including medicine, materials, electronics, coatings and energy saving technology, all with positive effects such as decreasing drug side-effects and improving sports equipment performance. (Nanotechnology Now)

Researchers from the University College London, United Kingdom, have developed an artificial artery using nanotechnology that is flexible enough to function like a real blood vessel. (NDN)

Nanoparticles can damage DNA even in cells that are not directly exposed to them, according to an in vitro study published online today (November 5) in Nature Nanotechnology — raising further questions about the safety of nanomaterials used in clinical therapies. (The Scientist)

NanoEthics (Volume 3, Number 2, August 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles Include:

• “Beyond Implications and Applications: the Story of ‘Safety by Design’” by Christopher M. Kelly, 79-96.
• “Nanotechnology, Development and Buddhist Values” by Soraj Hongladarom, 97-107.
• “Green Dreams of Reason. Green Nanotechnology Between Visions of Excess and Control” by Astrid E. Schwarz, 109-118.
• “Justice in Nanotechnological Development (Symposium Introduction)” by Ulrick B. Nissen, 119.
• “Two Dimensions of the Ethical Problems Related to Nanotechnology” by Guillermo Foladori, Noela Invernizzi and Edgar Záyago, 121-127.
• “Can Nanotechnology Be Just? On Nanotechnology and the Emerging Movement for Global Justice” by Andrew Jamison, 129-136.
• “Southern Roles in Global Nanotechnology Innovation: Perspectives from Thailand and Australia” by Donad C. Maclurcan, 137-156.
• “Let’s Get Small: An Introduction to Transitional Issues in Nanotech and Intellectual Property” by David Koepsell, 157-166.
• “Why Do We Need to Know What the Public Thinks about Nanotechnology?” by Craig Cormick, 167-173.

The American Journal of Bioethics (Volume 9, Issue 10, 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles Include:

• “The Era of Nanomedicine and Nanoethics: Has It Come, Is It Still Coming, Or Will It Pass Us By?” by Summer Johnson, 1-2.
• “The Coming Era of Nanomedicine” by Fritz Allhoff, 3-11.
• “Nanotechnology Will Change More Than Just One Thing” by Tihamer Toth-Fejel, 12-13.
• “Nanomedicine: Ethical Concerns Beyond Diagnostics, Drugs and Techniques” by Ellen M. McGee, 14-15.
• “Nanomedicine and Nanomedical Ethics” by Ronald Sandler, 16-17.
• “Missing the Boat on Nanoethics” by Gladys B. White, 18-19.
• “Legalism, Countertransference, and Clinical Moral Perception” by Christy A. Rentmeester and Constance George, 20-28.
• “What Reason Can Do for Clinical Moral Perception” by Barry Hoffmaster and Cliff Hooker, 29-31.
• “Let’s Blame the Physicians . . . Again: Physician Legalism and Countertransference” by Dawson S. Schultz, 31-33.
• “The Physician’s Fragility” by Chris Durante, 33-35.
• “Some Distinctions, ‘Hair Splitting,’ and Added Worries” by Barbara Russell, 35-37.
• “Do All Physicians Need to Recognize Countertransference?” by David Jeremy Alfandre, 38-39.
• “Medical Care of Terrorists - To Treat or Not to Treat?” by Benjamin Gesundheit, Nachman Ash, Shraga Blazer, and Avraham I. Rivkind, 40-42.
• “Medical Care of Terrorists is ‘Beyond the Letter of the Law’” by Ari Z. Zivotofsky, 43-45.
• “The Obligations of Health Workers to ‘Terrorists’” by John Lunstroth, 45-48.
• “The Terrorist and the Doctor: A Legal and Ethical Response” by Jonathan H. Marks, 49-51.
• “The Psychology of Repugnance and the Duty to Trust” by Richard Ashcroft, 51-52.
• “No Exceptionalism Needed to Treat Terrorists” by Chiara Lepora, Marion Danis, and Alan Wertheimer, 53-54.
• “Ethical Caring and the Treatment of Terrorists” by Alan Jotkowitz and Shaul Sofer, 55-56.

Nanoparticles may prove effective tools for improving stem cells therapy, new research suggests. Chemical engineers have successfully used nanoparticles to enhance stem cells’ ability to stimulate regeneration of damaged vascular tissue and reduce muscle degeneration in mice, they report in a study published online today (October 5) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (The Scientist )

Searching for a set of molecular characteristics common to all stem cells is, at best, a quixotic quest, argues a systems biologist in an opinion piece recently published in the Journal of Biology. This overly-simplified view of stem cells, the article notes, may be leading science down unfruitful paths and holding back clinical research. (New York Times)

61-year-old Arthur C. Clarke Lifetime Achievement Award winner, futurist and inventor guy Ray Kurzweil has made a lot of wild predictions that end up being appealing or terrifying. One of those is his belief that, within the next 20-25 years, our mastery of nanotechnology will be at such a level that we’ll basically be immortal cyborgs. So, hey — how’s that sound? (DVICE)

How Deep Will Nanotechnology’s Impact Be?
Residence Palace, 155 Rue De La Loi
Brussels, Belgium
September 28, 2009

Over the past 3 years, the DEEPEN project has explored the ethical challenges posed by emerging nanotechnologies.  What is unusual is that this has happened in real word circumstances - involving members of the public, nanoscience and industry across the EU to levels not previously attempted, and moving beyond a sole focus on risk.  As a result DEEPEN has revealed the widest ever range of implications and challenges for society, government, and science.

We would now like you to discover and debate these issues with us and other key stakeholders at the launch of the DEEPEN project final report.  The launch will be held in Brussels on Monday 28th September, from 10am onwards.

Speakers will include Professor Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent, Professor Alan Irwin, Professor Phil Macnaghten, Professor Alfred Nordmann, and Professor Arie Rip.  RSVP to Richard Hayhurst - Richard@hayhurstmedia.com.  Participation is free, but places must be reserved in advance.

For More Information

In a previous Examiner related article, the impact of nanotechnology in medicine, health and everyday life was reviewed in detail. In this article, another breakthrough in the field of nanotechnology demonstrates once again how carbon nanotubes, small particles composed of carbon with a length of one millionth of the size of a hair follicle, may have practical applications in the medical field, specifically in the field of oncology. (Examiner)

Humans have always tried to improve themselves through “natural methods” such as physical exercise, diet, meditation, education and training (and later on cosmetic surgery and Lasik eye corrections). However, as the report’s authors point out, with ongoing work to unravel the mysteries of our minds and bodies, coupled with the art and science of emerging technologies, we are near the start of the Human Enhancement Revolution. Technology will be a big game changer. While previously technological progress has improved the tools we work with, from the printing press to the steam engine to computers, in the future, technology will change ourselves, our bodies and, possibly, even our minds. (Nanowerk)

For most of the last decade, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proceeded cautiously in exercising its regulatory authority over nanoscale materials. This caution was largely a reflection of EPA’s conclusion that the agency lacked sufficient information to assess whether regulations specifically directed at nanoscale materials were necessary. Accordingly, much of EPA’s focus over the past several years has been aimed at filling information gaps and gathering more data regarding the potential risks associated with nanomaterials, mostly through voluntary programs and agency-funded research. (Nanowerk)

The Human Enhancement Ethics Group today released a new report funded by the US National Science Foundation, addressing such topics as: definitions, possible scenarios, freedom & autonomy, fairness & equity, societal disruptions, human dignity, rights & obligations, and policy & law. (Nanotechnology Now)

The story was first reported in the highly credible European Respiratory Journal and Reuters this month, causing members of the nanotechnology community everywhere scrambling to explain what could have gone wrong. (Nanotechnology Now)

Seven young Chinese women suffered permanent lung damage and two of them died after working for months without proper protection in a paint factory using nanoparticles, Chinese researchers reported on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Claims that seven Chinese factory workers developed severe lung damage from inhaling nanoparticles are stoking the debate over the environmental-health effects of nanotechnology. (Nature News)

Using tiny crystals called quantum dots, Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a highly sensitive test to look for DNA attachments that often are early warning signs of cancer. This test, which detects both the presence and the quantity of certain DNA changes, could alert people who are at risk of developing the disease and could tell doctors how well a particular cancer treatment is working. (ScienceDaily)

Long the stuff of hype and occasional hysteria, nanotechnology is quietly merging into modern life, its minuscule particles infused in an array of products, ranging from stink-proof socks to life-saving cancer medications. (The Boston Globe)

Culture and Religion (Volume 10, Issue 2, 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles Include:

• “Preface: Religious responses to technology” by Yulia Egorova, 133-135.
• “We have always been modern: Buddhism, science and the new genetic and reproductive technologies in Sri Lanka” by Bob Simpson, 137-157.
• “The proof is in the genes? Jewish responses to DNA research” by Yulia Egorova, 159-175.
• “Allah is the scientist of the scientists: Modern medicine and religious healing among British Bangladeshis” by Santi Rozario, 177-199.
• “‘All things weird and scary’: Nanotechnology, theology and cultural resources” by Sarah R. Davies, Matthew B Kearnes, and Phil M. Machnaghten, 201-220.
• “Being, making and imagining: Toward a practical theology of technology” by Elaine Graham, 221-236.