Nanotechnology – a Revolutionary Water Treatment Solution -- South African Water Research Commission (3/15/2010)

Nanotechnology may be the key to providing clean water in the most remote rural and semi-urban human settings, according to an article by Dr. Jo Burgess of the South African Water Research Commission (WRC), an organization that provides strategic direction and leadership on water resource issues in South Africa. Burgess says that "[N]anotechnology shows much potential to solve water quality challenges within the water sector and research efforts in this field could serve to ameliorate many of South Africa's water problems." She cites the use of nanofibers as a potential solution to the urgent need for decentralized and point-of-use water treatment and reuse systems. Nanotechnology could also aid in the development of low-cost, high-performance water treatment systems as well as instant and continuous ways to monitor water quality. South Africa is taking a leading role in this arena, within the Southern African Development Community, by developing two Nanotechnology Innovation Centres. The WRC and its collaborators are conducting research in the fields of sensors, bio-labeling and water nanotechnology. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

Outcry over Scientists' Dismissal -- Nature (3/15/2010)

The article details the controversy surrounding the expulsion, from their institute, of two high-profile nanotechnology researchers in Mexico. The federal Institute for Scientific and Technological Research of San Luis Potosí (IPICYT) fired Humberto and Mauricio Terrones Maldonado in December, for allegedly violating institute rules and Mexican laws. International science leaders, and the Terrones brothers, dispute these claims. Mildred Dresselhaus, a nanotechnology researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, who has advocated on behalf of the Terrones, says "[T]his is a major loss for Mexican science." The Terrones were trained abroad but returned to Mexico and established the country's first nanotechnology lab. They attracted several large grants, collaborated with top researchers abroad, and published well-cited papers in high-impact journals. According to the article, international science leaders say that "... the case serves as an example of how entrenched scientific bureaucracies in developing nations can drive away promising researchers, especially those who have been trained abroad." The brothers are currently considering legal action to regain their posts. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

President's Science Advisers Approve Report Calling for Collaboration on Nanotechnology -- The Bureau of National Affairs' Daily Environment Report (3/15/2010)

The United States President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) last week approved a report that will "... encourage federal agencies to increase their collaboration on environmental, health, and safety questions arising from various applications of nanotechnologies." The Council, which meets only once every two years, reviews the federal National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). The Council's first report evaluating the multi-agency initiative was criticized by some parties for not paying sufficient attention to environmental, health and safety concerns. The spokesman for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the office that manages PCAST, said the new report will include a substantial chapter on environmental, health and safety issues. Ed Penhoet, a director of Alta Partners and the co-chair of the council subcommittee developing the report, added that the report will recommend that the federal government develop a "cross-agency strategy plan that links environmental, health, and safety research with knowledge gaps and decision-makers' needs." Penhoet also said that the report will recommend that the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office receive more funding and a broader mandate to oversee the nanotechnology initiative. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

Acute Pulmonary Response of Mice to Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes -- Inhalation Toxicology (3/12/2010)

Researchers at the University of Kentucky, United States, have published their findings from a study to determine the pulmonary response of mice to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), in the March 2010 issue of the journal Inhalation Toxicology. A MWCNT suspension was introduced into mice lungs by oropharyngeal aspiration. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids, serum, and lung tissue samples were analyzed for inflammatory and oxidative stress markers after one day, for half of the mice, and after seven days for the others. The overall results of the study concluded that a single treatment of MWCNT is capable of inducing cytotoxic and inflammatory response in the lungs of mice. The article is available for purchase. The abstract can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

Sunscreens Could Damage Your Health, Researcher Warns -- Sydney Morning Herald (3/12/2010)

Dr. Amanda Barnard, a scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, has published research in the online journal Nature Nanotechnology (http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nnano.2010.25.html) that says the nanoparticles used to make some sunscreens transparent may also be toxic. Barnard, using computer modeling, found the titanium dioxide nanoparticles that provide the best transparency and sun protection also had the highest risk of producing free radicals, which can damage tissues or DNA. "Unfortunately the small ones also have a high surface-to-volume ratio and the surfaces are where the free radicals are produced through a photochemical, or light induced reaction," says Barnard, adding that "[C]urrently it's a situation of 'Is it better to protect yourself from UV rays or hold off and see what happens?' But in the future it may be 'Is it better to protect yourself from UV rays or protect yourself from something else?'" A spokeswoman for the Therapeutic Goods Administration responded to the study by saying that "...the findings are predicated on a number of assumptions that do not necessarily reflect real life situations or actual product formulations." The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

In the World: Nanotech on the Farm -- MIT News (3/12/2010)

The article discusses a project organized by Meridian Institute, and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa improve agricultural efficiency. A team of scientists traveled to Kenya and Ghana last summer, to study three agricultural value chains: cassava, dairy, and maize. The team came up with over 200 innovative ideas to help farmers overcome obstacles they face on a daily basis, and have since narrowed these down to 22 concepts, several of which involve the application of nanotechnology. Cassava is a staple crop for millions of people in Africa, but it has a short shelf life, and will spoil within one to three days after harvest. Farmers must get it to a processing center as soon as possible or it will go to waste. Paula Hammond, a professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, and a member of the project team, along with other scientists, is working to design a plastic storage bag lined with nanoparticles that would react with oxygen, preventing the rotting. According to Hammond, the bag "would enable farmers to harvest and store and process at times convenient to them." Other nanotechnology based solutions include a milk container with antimicrobial properties that would preserve milk longer than the plastic jugs currently used by most dairy farmers, and a nanopatterned paper diagnostic tool to detect heat and pregnancy in cows. Todd Barker, a Partner at Meridian Institute, says the next step is to develop, test and bring these ideas to commercialization, "... to make sure the ideas that came out of the trip reach the farmers in Africa." The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

China to Set up Disciplines of Strategic Importance in Colleges -- CRIENGLISH.com (3/11/2010)

China has announced a plan to nurture more talent for the emerging industries it considers to be of strategic importance by creating new disciplines in undergraduate schools. The industries of strategic importance include the low-carbon sector, information technology, and biotechnology. The new disciplines would cover the following: renewable energy; clean coal technology; new energy automobiles; internet; nanotechnology; photoelectronic technique; genetically modified technology; and, maritime and space exploitation. The Ministry of Education said that universities in China could apply to teach the new disciplines concerning industries that are "...of the crucial stake to environment and people's livelihood in the future." The Ministry also said that it would increase cooperation with famous enterprises and overseas counterparts in order to give strong support to the building of new disciplines. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

Designer Nano Luggage to Carry Drugs to Diseased Cells -- John Innes Centre (3/11/2010)

Scientists at the John Innes Center, United Kingdom, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the John Innes Foundation, have succeeded, for the first time, in growing empty particles derived from a plant virus, and have made them carry useful chemicals. The new nanoscale containers are particles of the Cowpea mosaic virus. The external surface of the containers can be decorated with molecules that guide them to where they are needed in the body; once there, the chemical load carried by the container can be discharged to exert its effect on diseased cells. Previous attempts by scientists to empty virus particles of their genetic material have only partially succeeded. Professor George Lomonossoff, one of the author's of a paper to be published on the discovery, says "[T]his brings a huge change to the whole technology and opens up new areas of research. We don't really know all the potential applications yet because such particles have not been available before. There is no history of them." One potential application could be in cancer treatment, according to the article. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]