The 2011 programme will cover:

• The future impact of nanotechnology on business and the economy
• Expert analysis of the global market and trade environment
• International success stories in fostering nanomaterials development
• What major global end users need from their supply base
• Lessons learned from commercialising R&D in this sector
• How to manage innovation and deliver on commercial potential
• How to sell nanomaterials in the consumer marketplace
• Policy and legal frameworks for producers in this sector
• Capital investment, funding and trading mechanisms
• Innovations in production and synthesis of nanomaterials
• Novel applications in coatings, plastics, composites, electronics, medicine, and clean technology

NanoMaterials 2011 will bring an even larger exhibition of leading suppliers and products with extensive networking opportunities.

The conference NanoMaterials conference and exhibition will take place on 8-9 June.

For more information visit: nanomaterials-conference.com

Nanopaprika.eu was started back in 2007 by a Hungarian Chemistry PhD student Andras Paszternak. The website provides a great deal of communication and networking tools. Since 2007 the Nanopaprika community has grown to 2000+ members.

This virtual  international nanoscience community (TINC) comes equipped with personal chat and scientific forums ranging from Microscopy to Nanomedicine. The site now connects nano scientists from all over the globe and is media partners with more than 30 nano conferences dealing with different topics in 2009 and 2010 alone.

Nanopaprika.eu is open to all as long as they have a passion for Nano! With over 2000 scientists from across the globe Nanopaprika boasts a wealth of knowledge that any Nano enthusiast can put to good use.

- CT

Understandingnano.com was started when Earl Boysen (co-author of Nanotechnology for Dummies) observed the need for a website with easy to understand explanations on a wide variety of nanotechnology applications. Understandingnano.com provides clear and concise information that is accessible to people who may not have expertise in Nanotechnology.

It is especially pleasing to see that Understandingnano.com has a whole section dedicated to explaining the basics of the many aspects of nanotechnologies application in medicine. Whilst providing useful resources to allow the reader to delve deeper into subjects that they are most interested in.

Understandingnano.com is not limited to providing information about nanotechnologies but also provides resources relating to nanotechnology such as where to find degrees in nanotechnology, jobs and even new articles!

Understandingnano.com is a partnership between Earl and his wife, Nancy. Earl brings an understanding of the technical issues based upon a masters in Engineering Physics and 20 years of experience in integrated circuit manufacturing. Nancy is the author of over 90 books on technology related topics. Her writing skills make Understandingnano.com easy to understand and enjoyable to read.

Understandingnano.com is not affiliated with any corporation, institution, or government body and therefore its information and articles don’t contain any organizational bias. – CT

If Medical Nanotechnology were to only achieve a fraction of its potential it would provide a new era of health and longevity for human life.

NanoMedicine would provide a way of detecting disease before patients would even display symptoms and provide a way of treating that disease without side effects.
It could provide a way of detecting disease at the cellular level in the earliest stages of disease. New techniques being developed would do away with lengthy waits for results of diagnostic tests and would provide instantaneous diagnosis. The earlier a disease is diagnosed the earlier it can be treated an often the more successful the treatment would be.

With current techniques in development tailored drug delivery could become commonplace in a clinical setting. This would enable treatment of cancer without side effects. Targeted drug delivery systems would mean the cancer drugs would only affect the cancerous cells sparing the healthy cells. Negating the usual effects of chemo and radiotherapies, whilst simultaneously having a higher efficacy.

Nanoparticles inside prostate tumor cells stained green courtesy of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research.

Presently many Nanotechnologies in Medicine are still only at experimental and early trial levels.
At MedicalNanotec we provide up to date information and news from the cutting edge of scientific advancement in Medical Nanotechnology. Head over to our blog to read the newest information… – CT

One of the prominent problems still facing nanotechnology is how it should be defined. Most definitions include the study and control of phenomena and materials, which are smaller then 100nm. It is often stated that the average human hair is 80,000nm wide giving a perspective of the scale that nanotechnologists work at.

Many argue that any definition of nanotechnology must include a reference to molecular systems and devices. Many nanotechnology ‘purists’ even go as far to say that the definition must contain a reference to ‘functional systems’.
Maybe the easiest way to form a definition about nanotechnology is to ask academics in the field how they themselves would define the field that they work in. This has been done in the inaugural issue of Nature Nanotechnology, which has asked 13 researchers from a variety of fields what nanotechnology means to them.

Picture courtesy of DOE.

Some experts caution against a definition of Nanotechnology based on size, which would rule out many materials and devices including pharmaceuticals.

Highlighted as an important factor to add to the definition is that nano-structures must be man-made. Otherwise the definition would have to include every natural bio-molecule, in effect redefining much of what occurs in chemistry and molecular biology into ‘nanotechnology’.

The most important determinant is that a nano-structure must posses the important size-dependent quantum effects that are exclusively due to its nano-scale size.

A great definition has come from Nanowerk defining nanotechnology as:

‘The study of phenomena and manipulation of materials at atomic, molecular and macromolecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at a larger scale; and nanotechnologies as the design, characterisation, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanometer scale.’

What is the significance of the Nano-scale?

People are interested in the nano-scale as at this scale the way materials act begins to differ to the way materials of a larger scale would usually act.

But nanotechnology is not a new thing, chemists have been creating polymers from nano-scale materials, nanotechnology has been used to create the features on computer chips for over 20 years now. However, new developments in the field have allowed the examination and manipulation of materials at the nano-scale, which has allowed the development of nanotechnology as a new and exciting field.

Video Introduction to Nanotechnology from Richard Feynman’s classic lecture in 1959 entitled ‘There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom – An Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics.’

The properties of materials change at the nano-scale due to the difference of properties, which are described by quantum physics. For example materials of grain sizes around 10nm may be as much as seven times as tough as their ordinary counterparts with grain sizes bigger then 100nm.

Nanomaterials have a larger surface area compared to the same mass of material produced in a larger form, making these materials more chemically reactive, changing their strength or electrical properties.

How can Nanotechnology be used?

To date nanotechnology has been used in coatings for surfaces i.e. self-cleaning windows, in electronics, cosmetics and environmental applications. The ability to engineer precisely at the nano-scale has had huge benefits for the production of industrial components for information and communication technologies, automotive and aerospace industries.

A very exciting new avenue for nanotechnology is its application into a clinical setting to create new avenues for treating and possibly preventing disease. - CT

Nano Meidcine describes the highly specific treatment of disease at the molecular level.

Nanotechnology has many perspective applications in Medicine ranging from nano-silver paint for bacterial growth prevention to medical imaging and treatment of disease.

There are very exciting new techniques being developed to utilize nanotechnology to treat a multitude of diseases. Notably there is a large amount of research being conducted into techniques for targeted drug delivery.
Nano medicine is the next step in medical advancement allowing the treatment of disease at the cellular level. This would allow treatments to be as non-invasive as possible whilst at the same time only affecting diseased areas of the body.

Bright green/yellow showing cancer drug entering a cancerous cell from purdue.edu

There are still many problems to be addressed in terms of disease treatment. Nano medicine provides a new avenue for developing ways of combating these stumbling blocks. For instance for many ailments surgery is an inevitability, but surgery can be very damaging to the body. Many patients may have complications after surgery or reductions in quality of life. With Nanotechnology it may be possible to treat disease in a non-invasive way. A prime example of this is the treatment of tumors with a reduction in side-effects, through the development of targeted drug delivery systems negating the need for the poison, slash and burn techniques currently used in medicine for their treatment.

Nano Medicine is a hugely interdisciplinary field with the need for collaboration between many disciplines in science to aid the implementation of novel Nanotechnologies in medicine. – CT

The review paper to be published in Nature Nanotechnology argues that due to the diverse uses of nanoparticles it would be best to propose a more categorized system of defining different nanoparticles to do with their attributes rather then their size.

Researcher Mark Weisner of Duke University states that there are distinct differences in the physiochemical characteristics of different nanoparticles. For this reason it would be incorrect to ‘tar all nanoparticles with the same brush’. As, for example, certain nanoparticles have size-dependent changes in crystal structure, which can influence their reactivity. this is important for ascertaining how they interact with the environment and what risk if any they may pose.

The study highlights a distinct group of nanoparticles that Weisner believes would cause the most trouble and those are the ones below 30nm in size. So Weisner proposes a 30nm limit to nanoparticle size. This has caused responses from two key figures. A response from Ken Donaldson of the Safety of Nanomaterials research Centre in Edinburgh. He states that there is no proven consequences of a size related change in properties. He also states that there seems to be no rational behind restricting the definition of nanoparticles to those below 30nm. He also believes that any such restriction would be premature and have no toxicological proof.

Weisner argues that his 30nm limit would only be a guide. He believes that the categorization due to novel properties may be a better approach with greater relevance.

What is certain about this paper is that it has started a debate about how nanoparticles should be categorized. Debate is always a great way to advance proceedings and has got the ball rolling on this key issue. – CT

Source: ION

A research group at the University of Ulster are investigating a possbile link between nanoparticels such as those found in suncream and Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor Vyvyan Howard (toxicologist) and Dr Christian Holscher (expert in Alzheimer’s disease) have been awarded £350,000 to investigate any link that may present itself between nanoparticles and neurodegenerative disorders.

There is now evidence that nanoparticles can migrate to the brain of small animals. This occurs either by inhalation or a hypothesised process in which the nanoparticles pass through the skin. Once the nanoparticles have infiltrated the brain there is no mechanism for the particles to be removed. It has now come to light that nanoparticles may have an important effect on misfolding of many of the proteins that are involved in neurodegenerative disorders, in both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

The  nerve cells of the brain must last a lifetime and are therefore highly suscepitbile to long-term low level toxicity. Thus the worry about the effects that nanoparticles may have.

A prominant protective barrier for the brain is the specialised blood brain barrier. A set of membranes that do not usually allow molecules above a certain size into the brain. It is thought that the nanoparticles can bypass the blood brain barrier and get into the brain. Once they have bypassed the blood brain barrier it is thought that the nanoparticles may interact with key proteins in the brain.

There is widespread indications that Parkinsosn’s is cloesly related to pollution and correlates with areas that have undergone industrilisation. There has always been concerns about pesticides and there possible effects on neurodegenerative disorders.

In this day and age with a fast paced development of important new technologies involving the applications of Nanotechnology in Medicine there is mounting concern about the safety of certain nanomaterials. This emphasis on safety in Nanotechnology has come about with the recent artical detailing the possible involvement of nanoparticles in respiratory disorders.

This research is important to establish a cautious approach to a technology that could some day revolutionize the way we think about illness. Thus every precaution should be maintained not to taint the Nanotechnology industry with unecessary concern about its safety. Whilst at the same time assuring complete transparency of the findings of such studies to the public. Hopefully clarity will be found to end debates about the safety of Nanotechnology allowing the scientific community to tackle these issues one way or the other. – CT

Source: University of Ulster

An aforementioned study to be realeased in the next issue of the ERJ has already warranted a response from certain members of the scientific community.

The response highlights some of the reasons that could be attributed to the deaths seen as being caused by nanoparticles. There is no denial that some forms of nanoparticles are toxic to humans but there is concern mostly about the working conditions of those in the nanoparticle using factory.

Before respiratory symptoms were noticed in the patients it has come to light that the factory of 70 square metres was unventilated due to a broken ventilation system. Contained no windows and the door was kept shut due to the cold. Apart from this what has become obvious is that the workers were very poorly informed of health and safety and had no real idea about what they were using. As an addition to this the only safety measure sporadically applied was the use of cotton gauze masks, which would have been useless against nanoparticulate substances. So the main concern is that the lack of ventilation allowed incredibly high levels of nanoparticles to build up locally in the factory and this is the cause of the illness seen.

It is maintained by the paper writers that this was not the full problem and that really it was the underlying toxicity of the nanoparticles no matter what that was causing this. Either by entering through the respiratory system or even maybe through the skin or both.

What is certain about this paper and the replies it has already promepted is that it has stirred up much interest and speculation in the nanotoxicologist community. Quite rightly so no matter what technology you use you must always make sure it has no inherent health problems and if it does that its use is correctly regulated.

One of the most important things to overcome with and issue like this is to convey this knowledge in an unbiased way to those who are not specialists  in the field to form their own educated opinions. – CT

Source: SafeNano

To read the previous article this is concerning: Study

A study to be published in the next issue of the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) has claimed the first concrete evidence that exposure to nanoparticles can cause disease. The discovery was made in workers who are exposed to nanoparticles during adhesive paint production, which have subsequently gone on to develop severe pulmonary fibrosis. Two of which have suffered fatal lung failure.

These findings have been previously seen in animal models where inhalatipn of nanoparticles has lead to inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis in mice. This is the first example of disease from nanoparticles to be documented in humans.

This study will fuel the debate and hurdles about safe nanotechnology and the applications it can have. Undoubtedly it wil stur up many debates i nthe scientific community about nanotoxicologies.

The diagnosis of the lung disease linked to nanoparticle exposure was made using light microscopy. A team at the Beijing Chaoyang hospital made this discovery after following 7 female workers at the apint factory who were admitted to their hospital with itchy eruptions on their skin and respiratory problems.

There are many concerns about the working conditions and the health and safety precautions in the factory where this occured. Although that tighter regulations may be needed for the use of nanotechnologies in the work place.

For more inforamtion to help you form your own decisions about this discovery the SafeNano team have made an impartial response tothe paper. – CT

Source: ERJ