SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ - Saturday, May 30, 2009

NEWSWORTHY

Nano spending adjustment
According to Cientific, governments will be spending nearly $10 billion on nanotechnology research in 2009, but despite this huge figure government spending has begun to slow down. Spending will only grow by 9.3% from 2008-2012 compared with the 130% increase witnessed from 2004-2008. Countries are now emphasizing the importance of application-driven research in this emerging field.
See NanoTech Wire, May 1, 2009.

Portable x-ray
Researchers from the Advanced Defect-Characterization Research Group, the
Research Institute of Instrumentation Frontier of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), In cooperation with Dialight Japan Co., Ltd. and Life Technology Research Institute, Inc., has developed practical portable X-ray sources with a cold-cathode electron source using carbon nanostructures.
See Nanowerk, April 24, 2009.

Diabetes alert
Chinese researchers from Nankai U in Tianjin have developed polymer nanoparticles that can release insulin in response to changes in glucose concentration, creating a potential treatment for diabetes.
See Chemistry World, May 7, 2009.

STD alert
Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have now designed a unique method for inducing immunity to chlamydia infection. The findings could accelerate progress toward the development of a vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis infections. Their study described the use of a novel vaccine platform that utilizes an engineered nanoparticle delivery system.
See Eureka Alert, April 29, 2009 and PLoS ONE, April 30 ,2009.

NIOSH updates on workplace safety
The document, Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology, reiterates the agency's recommendation that employers take measures to control occupational exposure in the manufacture and industrial use of engineered nanomaterials.
See Risk and Insurance, May 4, 2009 and NIOSH

New vaccines
Liquidia Technologies presented data at the National Foundation of Infectious Disease (NFID) Annual Meeting which supports new insight into a technology that could provide more safe and effective vaccines for a wide variety of diseases. Results of the study show that the desired immune response elicited by a vaccine can be enhanced up to 10-fold when the vaccine protein is linked to nano-particles of a particular size and shape.
See Press Release, April 28 2009.

More cancer and gold
Researchers at MIT claim to have developed tiny gold particles that can home in on tumors, and then, by absorbing energy from near-infrared light and emitting it as heat, destroy tumors with minimal side effects.
See MIT News, May 4, 2009.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Aussies push for nano lableling
The Minister for Science and Medical Research for the NSW Government will push for national mandatory labeling of nano-sized particles used in workplaces and improved testing facilities to assess the safety of new nanomaterials.
See Sydney Morning News, May 5, 2009.

STAPH infections targeted
Researchers at Yeshiva U have combined their revolutionary new drug-delivery system involving biocompatible nanoparticles with a powerful antimicrobial agent to treat potentially deadly drug-resistant staph infections in mice.
See Press Release and April 30, 2009 and Journal of Investigative Dermatology, April 23, 2009.

INTEL And Saudis sign agreement
Intel and King Abdul-Aziz City of Science and Technology (KACST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a collaborative research agreement to establish CENA, a world-class Center of Excellence in Nano-manufacturing Applications.
See AMEInfo, April 27, 2009.

Using nano to combat drug resistance
Researchers at Northeastern U combine two different anticancer agents in one nanoscale construct, providing a one-two punch that can prove lethal to such resistant cells. The nanoemulsion entraps both paclitaxel and curcumin.
See NCI News, April 2009 and Molecular Pharmaceutics, March 11, 2009.

Nano and bladder regeneration
Brown U researcher are using nanotechnology is in regenerative medicine, particularly by creating nanometer pores and associated nanometer surface features to improve bladder tissue growth while inhibiting bladder calcium stone formation, which is a common disease affecting 5.2% of adults in the US with a high rate of recurrence.
See NanotechWeb, April 23, 2009.

EU student outreach
NANOYOU will design and undertake a communication and outreach program in nanotechnology (NT) aimed at European youth. The project will reach 11-18 year olds through school programs to take place in at least 20 EU Member States and Associated States. Additional programs aimed at young adults aged 19-25 will be offered in science centers.
See ZSI Release, June 9, 2009