October 30, 2013
New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Minnesota finds that people in the United States want labels on food products that use nanotechnology – whether the nanotechnology is in the food or is used in food … Read More
October 25, 2013
Materials at the nanoscale can have different chemical, physical, or biological properties compared to their conventionally-scaled counterparts. Scientists can use these features to enhance the properties or the quality of a drug. But because such properties can affect the quality, … Read More
October 24, 2013
In other words, we have engineered a selective transport system that can be used in the future to deliver medication into the cell. This could be of particular use in gene therapy, which involves introducing genetic material into degenerated cells … Read More
October 18, 2013
The combination of heat, chemotherapeutic drugs and an innovative delivery system based on nanotechnology may significantly improve the treatment of ovarian cancer while reducing side effects from toxic drugs, researchers at Oregon State University report in a new study. The … Read More
October 17, 2013
Life-threatening blood clots can form in anyone who sits on a plane for a long time, is confined to bed while recovering from surgery, or takes certain medications. There is no fast and easy way to diagnose these clots, which … Read More
October 15, 2013
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a protein expressed by human bone marrow stem cells that guides and stimulates the formation of blood vessels. Their findings, which could help improve the vascularization of engineered tissues, were … Read More
October 11, 2013
A recent article in the venerable Financial Times proposed a sort of nanotechnology equivalent to the oft-mentioned “digital divide (the idea that the benefits of digital technology appear to accrue to the wealthy while the poor are left out). At issue in the article is … Read More
October 8, 2013
Nanotechnology has led to advances in many diverse areas, including medicine and health care, information technology (IT), energy, household and consumer products. An EU-funded project has set up a web-based information system to provide information on impact of nanoparticles on … Read More
October 7, 2013
An EU-funded project has investigated the potential of stem cell-based replacement therapy for prevention of end stage renal disease. The work involved the design of a new type of magnetic nanoparticle to label the stem cells for in vivo tracking. … Read More
October 4, 2013
A team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has been awarded a special $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop an inexpensive and easy-to-use new microscopy method to simultaneously spot … Read More
October 3, 2013
Researchers are developing a system that uses tiny magnetic beads to quickly detect rare types of cancer cells circulating in a patient’s blood, an advance that could help medical doctors diagnose cancer earlier than now possible and monitor how well … Read More
October 2, 2013
It’s like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Researchers have reached inside the brain of a rat and pulled out neural stem cells – without harming the animal. Since the technique uses nanoparticles already approved for use in humans, … Read More
October 2, 2013
What sounds like a dream of the future has already been the subject of research for a few years: simply printing out tissue and organs. Now scientists have further refined the technology and are able to produce various tissue types. … Read More
October 1, 2013
Public Understanding of Science (Volume 22, No. 7, October 2013) is now available online by subscription only. Articles include: “Scientific authority in policy contexts: Public attitudes about environmental scientists, medical researchers, and economists†by Timothy L. O’Brien “Attitudes and attitudinal ambivalence … Read More
October 1, 2013
Similar to using Python or Java to write code for a computer, chemists soon could be able to use a structured set of instructions to “program” how DNA molecules interact in a test tube or cell. A team led by … Read More
September 30, 2013
DNA/nanoparticle hybrid systems combine the unique electronic and optical properties of nanomaterials with the recognition and catalytic properties of nucleic acids. These materials hold great promise for the development of new sensing platforms, the programmed organization of nanoparticles, the switchable … Read More
September 26, 2013
The liver, an essential organ, can fail due to disease or abuse. The EU-funded project MICROLIVERMATURATION has found a way to create viable liver cells from embryonic stem cells (ESCs). (Nanowerk)
September 26, 2013
A team of Stanford engineers has built a basic computer using carbon nanotubes, a semiconductor material that has the potential to launch a new generation of electronic devices that run faster, while using less energy, than those made from silicon … Read More
September 24, 2013
NanoEthics (Volume 7, Issue 2, August 2013) is now available online by subscription only. Articles include: “Discernment and Denial: Nanotechnology Researchers’ Recognition of Ethical Responsibilities Related to Their Work†by Robert McGinn. “Is Nanotechnology Giving Rise to New Ethical Problems?†… Read More
September 24, 2013
A brighter, better, longer-lasting dental implant may soon be on its way to your dentist’s office. Dental implants are posts, usually made of titanium, that are surgically placed into the jawbone and topped with artificial teeth. More than dentures or … Read More
September 23, 2013
In July 2013, 45 blind and visually impaired high school students from around the country gathered at Towson University for a weeklong event designed to expose them to science careers long believed to be impossible for the blind. (Nanowerk)
September 19, 2013
Your smartphone now can see what the naked eye cannot: A single virus and bits of material less than one-thousandth of the width of a human hair. Aydogan Ozcan, a professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering at the UCLA Henry … Read More
September 18, 2013
In broad terms, nanotechnology in drug delivery involves either forming solid drug nanoparticles or loading the drug into nanocarriers that improve how a medicine is distributed in the body. One of the latest offerings is an experimental injectable “smart sponge†… Read More
September 18, 2013
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) has posted a report on its March 2012 international “Symposium on Assessing the Economic Impact of Nanotechnology.” (Nanotechnology Now)
September 17, 2013
Researchers at the George Washington University in the US have employed carbon nanotubes to modify polymeric scaffolds, add nanoscale surface roughness to these structures, and modulate their mechanical properties. The idea is that these nanotubes can be incorporated into existing … Read More
