July 3, 2012
Imagine a lotion that can treat irreversible genetic skin diseases like psoriasis or life-threatening skin cancers like melanoma. Researchers at Northwestern University say they’re another step closer to creating a treatment that will naturally slip through the skin and genetically … Read More
June 25, 2012
Chemicals, minerals, and other materials 40,000 times smaller than a human hair are being added to an astonishingly high number of consumer products, from peanut butter to socks to sunscreen. And in an unusual departure from its usual innocent-until-proven-guilty approach … Read More
June 14, 2012
Nature Biotechnology (Volume 30, Issue 6, June 2012) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Discontent with Consent” available on-line. “Proof of Concept for Next-Generation Nanoparticle Drugs in Humans” available on-line. “Agency Defies Advice and Rejects Gene Therapy for … Read More
June 4, 2012
Harvard biologists have brought new meaning to the term “fine print” by devising microscopic tiles made of DNA that self-assemble into letters, Chinese characters, emoticons and other shapes. (LA Times)
May 15, 2012
While a great deal of the potential for nanotechnology to improve cancer therapy lies with the ability of nanoparticles to deliver drug payloads directly to tumors, an equally important consideration is whether nanoparticles can then get their drug payload to … Read More
April 23, 2012
U.S. health regulators said consumer products that use nanotechnology may have unknown effects on the human body, and advised food and cosmetic companies to further study the safety of these tiny particles. (Reuters)
April 20, 2012
By tacking drugs onto molecules targeting rogue brain cells, researchers have alleviated symptoms in newborn rabbits that are similar to those of cerebral palsy in children. Cerebral palsy refers to a group of incurable disorders characterized by impairments in movement, … Read More
April 13, 2012
The Journal of the American Medical Association (Volume 307, Issue 11, March 21, 2012) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Committee Calls for Framework to Assess the Safety of Nanotechnology Materials” by Mike Mitka, 1124-1127.
April 5, 2012
The word nanoparticles may make people think about objects floating around in space, but according to new research, they show very early promise as a cancer treatment. (ABC News)
February 15, 2012
Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday. (AFP)
February 14, 2012
NanoEthics (Volume 5, Issue 3, January 2012) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Seven Religious Reactions to Nanotechnology” by Chris Toumey, 251-267. “Ethics and Nanopharmacy: Value Sensitive Design of New Drugs” by Job Timmermans, Yinghuan Zhao & Jeroen … Read More
February 13, 2012
Poiesis & Praxis (Volume 8, Issue 2-3, January 2012) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Probing Technoscience” by Karen Kastenhofer & Astrid Schwarz, available on-line. “The “technoscientization†of medicine and its limits: technoscientific identities, biosocialities, and rare disease … Read More
February 10, 2012
Science and Engineering Ethics (Volume 17, Issue 4, January 2012) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Negotiating Plausibility: Intervening in the Future of Nanotechnology” by Cynthia Selin, 723-737. “Nanoethics and the Breaching of Boundaries: A Heuristic for Going … Read More
January 25, 2012
Tiny substances called nanomaterials have moved into the marketplace over the last decade, in products as varied as cosmetics, clothing and paint. (NY Times)
December 8, 2011
A process to “carve” highly complicated shapes into nanoparticles has been unveiled by a team of researchers. (BBC News)
December 6, 2011
Ever since the early days of modern computing in the 1940s, the biological metaphor has been irresistible. The first computers — room-size behemoths — were referred to as “giant brains†or “electronic brains,†in headlines and everyday speech. (New York … Read More
November 29, 2011
From tissue scaffolds for artificial organs to better diagnostics and drug delivery, health and medicine offer some of the most visible opportunities for nanotechnology. Yet the first nanomedicine was approved for use back in 1995. (Guardian)
November 21, 2011
A tiny nano-sized car which can propel itself forward in response to electrical pulses has been created by scientists in the Netherlands. (CNN)
October 21, 2011
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy (Volume 14, Issue 4, November 2011) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “The Current Status of Decision-Making Procedures and Quality Assurance in Europe: An Overview” by L. Valerio, and W. Ricciardi. “The Sense … Read More
October 14, 2011
Move over Chubby Checker. A yarn made of carbon nanotubes has been developed that can twist for an instant, at the equivalent of almost 600 revolutions per minute. (New Scientist)
October 10, 2011
Inside Jillian Buriak’s laboratory, it’s a small world. A University of Alberta chemistry professor and a senior research officer at Edmonton’s National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT), Dr. Buriak manipulates silicon and other materials at the nano scale – between one … Read More
September 30, 2011
Nanomedicines, advocates say, will one day be commonplace. Nanoparticles are already being used in bone-replacement composites and chemotherapy delivery systems, and more sophisticated systems could eventually carry personalized therapies to the precise site in the body where they are needed. … Read More
September 19, 2011
NanoEthics (Volume 5, Issue 2, September 7, 2011) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Assessing Expectations: Towards a Toolbox for an Ethics of Emerging Technologies” by Federica Lucivero, Tsjalling Swierstra & Marianne Boenink, available on-line. “Responsible Development of … Read More
September 9, 2011
The human body is a nanoscale engineer par excellence. Our cells push and pull billions of molecules around every second in order to grow, communicate with each other, attack invaders or heal after injury. (Guardian)
September 7, 2011
Researchers have created the smallest electric motor ever devised. The motor, made from a single molecule just a billionth of a metre across, is reported in Nature Nanotechnology. (BBC News)
