Monthly Archives: March 2013

Nanotechnology-enabled art scanning project gets rough

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Recently, a series of television programmes about art, authentication, and forgeries were broadcast in my area (Fake or Fortune on Knowledge Network) and there was one question I kept asking myself, why aren’t they using some nanotechnology-enabled techniques to decide? I think the answer is pretty simple, they wanted to build suspense rather than answer questions quickly, otherwise, there wouldn’t have been much to broadcast.

Meanwhile, the technology to detect art forgeries and/or to identify art objects continues to be developed as per a Mar. 19, 2013 post by Benjamin Sutton for artinfo.com blog, In The Air (Note: Links have been removed),

An artist’s signature and an artwork’s certificate of authenticity can easily be forged, but you know what cant? A 3D nano-scan of the object’s roughness down to a level as precise as one one-thousandth of a millimeter. That’s exactly how conservation scientist Bill Wei plans to revolutionize the way artworks are authenticated and tracked, Wired U.K. reports, with his new project Fing-Art Print.

Here’s more about the Fing-Art Print system in the Mar. 19, 2013 article by Victoria Turk for Wired UK (Note: A link has been removed),

The Fing-Art Print consists of a NanoFocus uSurf confocal profilometer, which enables non-contact surface analysis, on a robotic arm, measuring tiny differences in height across the object to produce a three-dimensional false colour image. But Wei wants to take the technology beyond the museum. “The idea is to also fight illegal trafficking of archaeological objects,” he explains. The lack of security at digs in the Middle East, for example, makes objects vulnerable to plundering. If they were fingerprinted immediately on discovery, stolen goods could be easily identified.

I found more information about this technique and an illustrative .gif on the Fing-Art Print project website Method page,

animatieAlso from the Method page,

How does it work?

  • the owner selects an area on the object of several square millimeters
  • the micro-roughness of this area is scanned using a non-contact profilometer
  • the scan contains roughness information on a micrometer scale
  • this unique information is put in a database

This method of examining is nondestructive as stated on the project’s home page,

The FINGaRtPRINT project was conducted in order to develop a system to ”fingerprint” objects of art and cultural heritage. The system provides a long sought after non-destructive, non-contact method for uniquely identifying these objects. Objects and collections which are fingerprinted can be easily identified. As part of an (inter)national database network, fingerprints can be used to re-identify recovered objects and protect against illegal trafficking of cultural heritage.

Btw and for folks like me, the painting in the .gif is The Garden of Daubigny (1890) by Vincent Van Gogh from the Collection Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam (Vincent Van Gogh Foundation).

Comparing techniques, citizen science to expert science

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Thanks to Ben Schiller for his Mar. 20, 2013 Fast Company article for this tidbit about an intriguing study carried out by the University of East Anglia,

Research in the Caribbean comparing the abilities of two teams of divers–one using traditional scientific methods, the other using a volunteer technique–found that the amateurs were capable of producing equal, if not better, data. After 44 underwater surveys over two weeks, the volunteers found 137 species of fish, compared to the professionals’ 106.

A University of East Anglia (UEA) Mar. 13, 2013 news release provides more detail about the research and its implications,

Research published today in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution shows that methods to record marine diversity used by amateurs returned results consistent with techniques favoured by peer-reviewed science.

The findings give weight to the growing phenomenon of citizen science, which sees data crowd-sourced from an army of avid twitchers, divers, walkers and other wildlife enthusiasts.

The field study compared methods used by ‘citizen’ SCUBA divers with those used by professional scientists, to measure the variety of fish species in three Caribbean sites.

…

Two teams of 12 divers made 144 separate underwater surveys across the sites over four weeks.

While the traditional scientific survey revealed sightings of 106 different types of fish, the volunteer technique detected greater marine diversity with a total of 137 in the same waters.

Dr Ben Holt, from UEA’s school of Biological Sciences, led the research in partnership with the Centre for Marine Resource Studies in the Caribbean and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

He said: “The results of this study are important for the future of citizen science and the use of data collected by these programs. Allowing volunteers to use flexible and less standardised methods has important consequences for the long term success of citizen science programs. Amateur enthusiasts typically do not have the resources or training to use professional methodology. [emphasis mine] Our study demonstrates the quality of data collected using a volunteer method can match, and in some respects exceed, protocols used by professional scientists.

If the study demonstrates that using a volunteer method matches or, in some cases, exceeds a method (protocol) used by professional scientists, why make the comment about “amateur enthusiasts” not having the resources or training to use professional methods? It would seem that in this study professional methodology was not as effective as volunteer methodology.  That said, I don’t believe we should be replacing professional scientists/methods with volunteers/volunteer methods. There’s more to a scientific inquiry than data collection but this indication that data collected by and the methods used by volunteers have validity when compared to professionally collected data opens up some opportunities for volunteers and scientists.

Holt continues (from the news release),

“Very few, if any, scientific groups can collect data on the scale that volunteer groups can, so our proof that both methods return consistent results is very encouraging for citizen science in general.

“I think we will really see the value of volunteer schemes increase in future. We’re living in a world that’s changing very significantly. Environmental changes are having a big impact on ecosystems around us so we need to harness new ways of measuring the effect.

“For example Lion fish is an invasive species which was not in the Caribbean until roughly 10 years ago. They have now become a real problem in many areas and this invasion has been tracked using volunteer data. Following our study, scientists can have more confidence when using these data to consider the impact of threats, such as invasive species, on the wider natural communities.

“It is important to note that our study does not consider the abilities of the individuals performing the surveys and this is also an important consideration for any large scale biodiversity program. By addressing these issues we can make important steps towards enabling the large pool of volunteer enthusiasts to help professional researchers by collecting valuable data across many ecosystems.”

The research was carried out in under water sites close to South Caicos in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Here’s an image of the Lionfish, the gorgeous, yet  invasive, species mentioned by Holt,

Antennata Lionfish, picture taken in Zoo Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria (downloaded from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MC_Rotfeuerfisch.jpg)

Antennata Lionfish, picture taken in Zoo Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria (downloaded from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MC_Rotfeuerfisch.jpg)

Here’s a citation and a link to Holt’s article,

Comparing diversity data collected using a protocol designed for volunteers with results from a professional alternative by Ben G. Holt, Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto, M. Aaron MacNeil, Jan Lupton,  & Carsten Rahbek. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12031 Article first published online: 12 MAR 2013

This article is open access.

Canadian Science Policy 2013 Conference call for proposals

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Here’s the Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) 2013 call straight from a Mar. 19, 2013 email announcement,

 Announcing the 5th Canadian Science Policy Conference

Mark your calendar for the upcoming CSPC 2013 conference, to be held at the Allstream Centre in Toronto, Ontario from November 20 to 22, 2013.

After 5 years, CSPC is returning to Toronto to host an expanded, diversified and richer science policy conference. The conference offers a unique platform for diverse groups of stakeholders to connect at the national level, to exchange ideas on key issues in science, technology and innovation policy, and to craft a future based on strong, dynamic, and innovative policy-making for the benefit of all Canadians. Under the title of “ScienceNext: Incubating Innovation and Ingenuity”, the conference will provide a unique opportunity to facilitate discussion among diverse groups of science policy stakeholders.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: SHAPE CSPC 2013 PANEL SESSIONS!

Help shape our country’s science and innovation policy landscape by ensuring you are a part of CSPC 2013. CSPC 2013 is inviting all individuals and organizations from across the country to design their own dynamic and innovative panel sessions.

Panels should be aligned with conference themes and should appeal to an audience with diverse backgrounds. We would also like to engage graduate students and participants in the private sector for whom science and innovation policy is highly relevant.

CONFERENCE THEMES
•    Private Sector R&D and Innovation: New Realities and New Models
•    Emerging Trends: Science & Technology in International Trade and Diplomacy
•    Science and Technology Communication
•    Graduate Studies and Research Training: Prospects in a Changing Environment
•    Emerging Issues in Canadian Science Policy     PRESENTATION STREAMS

For the first time CSPC offers multiple panel formats, or streams:
•    Case studies
•    Panel discussions
•    Participatory workshops
•    Policy solutions and proposals
These themes and presentation streams aim to facilitate insightful discussion and encourage interdisciplinary collaborations. For more information on criteria of panel submissions and panel streams please visit http://www.cspc2013.ca.

To submit a proposal, please prepare a brief outline that includes:
•    The title and subject of your session
•    Panel format (streams listed above)
•    Details of proposed session: introduction, importance, relevance (500 words max)
•    Proposed speakers (including bios)
Proposals must be submitted online by end of day on Friday, May 17, 2013. Forms will be available soon. More information can be found online at http://www.cspc2013.ca.

CSPC is also looking for sponsors (supporter), advertising (community partner), and volunteers,

SUPPORT CSPC 2013!

CSPC 2013 in Toronto (November 20-22) offers a range of opportunities for organizations interested in supporting science and innovation policy dialogue and collaboration in Canada. Raise the profile of your organization by supporting a panel, special event or the overall conference today!

The 5th annual Canadian Science Policy Conference is expected to attract 600+ participants and 100+ expert panelists and speakers to Toronto’s exciting new Allstream Conference Centre.

Supporters will also benefit from CSPC’s extensive national and international community networks and social media presence, as well as mainstream media coverage of the conference.

For more information, contact sponsorship@sciencepolicy.ca.

BECOME A COMMUNITY PARTNER

The Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) invites your organization to become a Community Partner for CSPC 2013!

Community Partners help in building a national science and innovation policy dialogue and spread the word about the upcoming CSPC conference. This would primarily involve publicizing CSPC 2013 to boost awareness and attendance. You can become a Community Partner by helping us with any of the following:

Include CSPC announcements in your newsletter

Circulate CSPC relevant news through your mailing list

Include a link to CSPC on your website

Donate advertising space to CSPC

Support the development of a strong science policy conference in Canada! To find out more about becoming a Community Partner and what your organization can do to support CSPC 2013, please contact: outreach@sciencepolicy.ca.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

We are looking for innovative and enthusiastic individuals to help make the 5th anniversary of CSPC our best conference yet. For more information, please click here or contact: info@sciencepolicy.ca.

FURTHER INFORMATION

CSPC 2013 is open to anyone with an interest in science policy: industrial and academic researchers, scholars, senior representatives from industry, government policy-makers (federal, territorial, provincial, local), research granting agencies and funding bodies, NGOs, entrepreneurs, students and trainees, writers and journalists, communications and government relations professionals, CEOs, R&D managers, and heads of scientific associations.

For more information, email us at info@sciencepolicy.ca, join the conversation at #cspc2013 on Twitter, or visit us at: http://www.cspc2013.ca/

Astonishing material, multi-use titanium dioxide nanofibres

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The enthusiasm in the Mar. 20, 2013 news release on EurekAlert about Darren Sun’s work with titanium dioxide nanofibres seems boundless,

A new wonder material that can generate hydrogen, produce clean water and even create energy.

Science fiction? Hardly, and there’s more – It can also desalinate water, be used as flexible water filtration membranes, help recover energy from desalination waste brine, be made into flexible solar cells and can also double the lifespan of lithium ion batteries. With its superior bacteria-killing capabilities, it can also be used to develop a new type of antibacterial bandage.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, led by Associate Professor Darren Sun have succeeded in developing a single, revolutionary nanomaterial that can do all the above and at very low cost compared to existing technology.

The Nanyang Technological University Mar. 20, 2013 news release (also posted to EurekAlert) gives details about how Sun created his ‘wonder’ material,

This breakthrough which has taken Prof Sun five years to develop is dubbed the Multi-use Titanium Dioxide (TiO2). It is formed by turning titanium dioxide crystals into patented nanofibres, which can then be easily fabricated into patented flexible filter membranes which include a combination of carbon, copper, zinc or tin, depending on the specific end product needed.

Titanium dioxide is a cheap and abundant material, which has been scientifically proven to have the ability to accelerate a chemical reaction (photocatalytic) and is also able to bond easily with water (hydrophilic).

…

Prof Sun, 52, from NTU’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said such a low-cost and easily produced nanomaterial is expected to have immense potential to help tackle ongoing global challenges in energy and environmental issues.

With the world’s population expected to hit 8.3 billion by 2030, there will be a massive increase in the global demand for energy and food by 50 per cent and 30 per cent for drinking water (Population Institute report, titled 2030: The “Perfect Storm” Scenario).

“While there is no single silver bullet to solving two of the world’s biggest challenges: cheap renewable energy and an abundant supply of clean water; our single multi-use membrane comes close, with its titanium dioxide nanoparticles being a key catalyst in discovering such solutions,” Prof Sun said. “With our unique nanomaterial, we hope to be able to help convert today’s waste into tomorrow’s resources, such as clean water and energy.”

…

Prof Sun had initially used titanium dioxide with iron oxide to make anti-bacterial water filtration membranes to solve biofouling – bacterial growth which clogs up the pores of membranes, obstructing water flow.

While developing the membrane, Prof Sun’s team also discovered that it could act as a photocatalyst, turning wastewater into hydrogen and oxygen under sunlight while still producing clean water. Such a water-splitting effect is usually caused by Platinum, a precious metal that is both expensive and rare.

Here’s a list of what the researchers are claiming multi-use titanium dioxide materials can accomplish, from the news release,

Producing hydrogen and clean water

This discovery, which was published recently in the academic journal, Water Research, showed that a small amount of nanomaterial (0.5 grams of titanium dioxide nanofibres treated with copper oxide), can generate 1.53 millilitre of hydrogen in an hour when immersed in one litre of wastewater. This amount of hydrogen produced is three times more than when Platinum is used in the same situation.

Depending on the type of wastewater, the amount of hydrogen generated can be as much as 200 millilitres in an hour. Also to increase hydrogen production, more nanomaterial can be used in larger amounts of wastewater.

Producing low-cost flexible forward osmosis membranes

Not only can titanium dioxide particles help split water, it can also make water filter membranes hydrophilic – allowing water to flow through it easily, while rejecting foreign contaminants, including those of salt, making it perfect for desalinating water using forward osmosis. Thus a new super high flux (flow rate) forward osmosis membrane is developed.

This discovery was published recently in last month’s journal of Energy and Environmental Science. This is the first such report of TiO2 nanofibres and particles used in forward osmosis membrane system for clean water production and energy generation.

Producing new antibacterial bandages

With its anti-microbial properties and low cost, the membrane can also be used to make breathable anti-bacterial bandages, which would not only prevent infections and tackle infection at open wounds, but also promote healing by allowing oxygen to permeate through the plaster.

The membrane’s material properties are also similar to polymers used to make plastic bandages currently sold on the market.

Producing low-cost flexible solar cells

Prof Sun’s research projects have shown out that when treated with other materials or made into another form such as crystals, titanium dioxide can have other uses, such as in solar cells.

By making a black titanium dioxide polycrystalline sheet, Prof Sun’s team was able to make a flexible solar-cell which can generate electricity from the sun’s rays.

Producing longer lasting lithium ion batteries

Concurrently, Prof Sun has another team working on developing the black titanium dioxide nanomaterial to be used in Lithium ion batteries commonly used in electronic devices.

Preliminary results from thin coin-like lithium ion batteries, have shown that when titanium dioxide sphere-like nanoparticles modified with carbon are used as the anode (negative pole), it can double the capacity of the battery. This gives such batteries a much longer lifespan before it is fully drained. The results were featured prominently in a highly respected Journal of Materials Chemistry on its cover page last year.

As is expected these days, from the news release,

Next step – commercialisation

Prof Sun and his team of 20, which includes 6 undergraduates, 10 PhD students and 4 researchers, are now working to further develop the material while concurrently spinning off a start-up company to commercialise the product.

They are also looking to collaborate with commercial partners to speed up the commercialisation process.

Here’s a citation and a link for the paper,

Novel-Structured Electrospun TiO2/CuO Composite Nanofibers for High Efficient Photocatalytic Cogeneration of Clean Water and Energy from Dye Wastewater by Siew Siang Lee, Hongwei Bai Zhaoyang Liu, & Darren Delai Sun. Water Research Available online 19 March 2013 In Press, Accepted Manuscript http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2012.12.044

This paper is behind a paywall. Good luck to Professor Sun and his colleagues.

Needles not needed for blood tests with implantable lab-on-a-chip

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Swiss Nano-Tera program researchers have developed an implantable lab-on-a-chip which can test blood and convey the results to your doctor (once they take the device out of the laboratory) according to a Mar. 19, 2013 news release on EurekAlert,

Humans are veritable chemical factories – we manufacture thousands of substances and transport them, via our blood, throughout our bodies. Some of these substances can be used as indicators of our health status. A team of EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) scientists has developed a tiny device that can analyze the concentration of these substances in the blood. Implanted just beneath the skin, it can detect up to five proteins and organic acids simultaneously, and then transmit the results directly to a doctor’s computer. This method will allow a much more personalized level of care than traditional blood tests can provide. Health care providers will be better able to monitor patients, particularly those with chronic illness or those undergoing chemotherapy. The prototype, still in the experimental stages, has demonstrated that it can reliably detect several commonly traced substances. The research results will be published and presented March 20, 2013 in Europe’s largest electronics conference, DATE 13.

Design,  Automation, and Test in Europe (DATE) 2013 can be found here. For those of us who won’t be at the DATE 13 conference, this EPFL video highlights some of the research being presented there,

The EPFL Mar. 20, 2013 news release provides more information about the technology and potential applications,

The device was developed by a team led by EPFL scientists Giovanni de Micheli and Sandro Carrara. The implant, a real gem of concentrated technology, is only a few cubic millimeters in volume but includes five sensors, a radio transmitter and a power delivery system. Outside the body, a battery patch provides 1/10 watt of power, through the patient’s skin – thus there’s no need to operate every time the battery needs changing.

Information is routed through a series of stages, from the patient’s body to the doctor’s computer screen. The implant emits radio waves over a safe frequency. The patch collects the data and transmits them via Bluetooth to a mobile phone, which then sends them to the doctor over the cellular network.

…

Great care was taken in developing the sensors. To capture the targeted substance in the body – such as lactate, glucose, or ATP – each sensor’s surface is covered with an enzyme. “Potentially, we could detect just about anything,” explains De Micheli. “But the enzymes have a limited lifespan, and we have to design them to last as long as possible.” The enzymes currently being tested are good for about a month and a half; that’s already long enough for many applications. “In addition, it’s very easy to remove and replace the implant, since it’s so small.”

The electronics were a considerable challenge as well. “It was not easy to get a system like this to work on just a tenth of a watt,” de Micheli explains. The researchers also struggled to design the minuscule electrical coil that receives the power from the patch.

…

The implant could be particularly useful in chemotherapy applications. Currently, oncologists use occasional blood tests to evaluate their patients’ tolerance to a particular treatment dosage. In these conditions, it is very difficult to administer the optimal dose. …

In patients with chronic illness, the implants could send alerts even before symptoms emerge, and anticipate the need for medication. “In a general sense, our system has enormous potential in cases where the evolution of a pathology needs to be monitored or the tolerance to a treatment tested.”

The prototype has already been tested in the laboratory for five different substances, and proved as reliable as traditional analysis methods. The project brought together eletronics experts, computer scientists, doctors and biologists from EPFL, the Istituto di Ricerca di Bellinzona, EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) and ETHZ (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich). It is part of the Swiss Nano-Tera program, whose goal is to encourage interdisciplinary research in the environmental and medical fields. Researchers hope the system will be commercially available within 4 years. [emphases mine]

“Making this technology commercially available within four years” seems rather optimistic since the news release mentions laboratory testing only. Optimistic that is, unless the researchers are already running human clinical trials not mentioned in the news release.

One last thought, objects implanted into the body tend to break down over time as per hip and knee replacements. I wonder if this lab-on-a-chip could be subject to some of the same drawbacks.

Mar. 20, 2013 live webcast about synthetic biology and nanotechnology poll

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The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has an event which you can attend in person if you’re in Washington, DC or can attend from elsewhere via a webcast. Here’s why you might want to attend,

Beginning in 2006, the Science and Technology Innovation Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Peter D. Hart Research Associates have conducted periodic national telephone surveys to gauge the public awareness of and attitudes towards synthetic biology and nanotechnology.

In our latest survey, conducted in January 2013, three-fourths of respondents say they have heard little or nothing about synthetic biology, a level consistent with that measured in 2010. While initial impressions about the science are largely undefined, these feelings do not necessarily become more positive as respondents learn more. The public has mixed reactions to specific synthetic biology applications, and almost one-third of respondents favor a ban “on synthetic biology research until we better understand its implications and risks,” while 61 percent think the science should move forward.

The survey also found that, despite outreach efforts, 68 percent of respondents have heard little or nothing about nanotechnology, which indicates no change in awareness since 2009.

Please join us Wednesday,March 20, 2013, at noon to discuss the complete results from the latest poll.

Here are the specifics,

What:

Results of the 2013 national public opinion poll on synthetic biology and nanotechnology

When:

Wednesday, March 20, 2013, Noon– 1:30 PM (Light lunch available at 11:30 am) [The times listed are EDT, for those of us on the West Coast of North America,  the webcast starts at 9 am]

 Who:

David Rejeski, Director, Science and Technology Innovation Program

Abigail Davenport, Senior Vice President, Peter D. Hart Research Associates

 Where:

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,
5th Floor Conference Room,
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC

RSVPs and miscellaneous,

A light lunch will be served beginning at 11:30 am.

You must register to attend the event. To RSVP, please visit:

http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/rsvp?eid=26431&pid=116

This event will be Webcast LIVE at

http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/awareness-and-impressions-synthetic-biology-results-the-2013-poll

There is no RSVP required to view the webcast.

For directions, please visit: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/directions

Media planning to cover the event should contact Aaron Lovell at (202) 691-4320 or at aaron.lovell@wilsoncenter.org

To learn more about the Synthetic Biology Project, please visit: http://www.synbioproject.org

Inflammation isn’t all bad but sometimes you need to reduce it with nanomedicines

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Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Columbia University Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have published about a study about their use of nano-sized particles to release therapeutic drugs that are designed to relieve chronic inflammation. From the Mar. 18, 2013 news release on EurekAlert,

Inflammation is the body’s natural defense mechanism against invading organisms and tissue injury. In acute inflammation, the pathogen or inflammatory mediators are cleared away and homeostasis is reached, however in chronic inflammatory states, this resolving response is impaired, leading to chronic inflammation and tissue damage. It is now widely believed that an impaired resolution of inflammation is a major contributing factor to the progression of a number of devastating diseases such as atherosclerosis, arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases, in addition to cancer. Since the level of inflammation in these diseases is very high—targeted therapeutic solutions are required to help keep inflammation contained.

A new study from researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Columbia University Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology presents the development of tiny nanomedicines in the sub 100 nm range (100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair strand) that are capable of encapsulating and releasing an inflammation-resolving peptide drug. The authors showed that these nanoparticles are potent pro-resolving nanomedicines, capable of selectively homing to sites of tissue injury in mice, and releasing their therapeutic payload in a controlled manner over time. Uniquely, these nanoparticles are designed to target the extracellular microenvironment of inflamed tissues. The particles then slowly release their potent inflammation-resolving payload such that it can diffuse through the inflamed tissue. There the drug binds to receptors on the plasma membrane of activated white blood cells and causes them to become more quiescent.

The research will be published some time this week (week of Mar. 18, 2013) by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. The news release offers more detail about the work,

“The beauty of this approach is that it takes advantage of nature’s own design for preventing inflammation-induced damage, which, unlike many other anti-inflammatory strategies, does not compromise host defense and promotes tissue repair,” said Ira Tabas, MD, PhD, physician-scientist at Columbia University Medical Center and co-senior author of this study.

“The development of self-assembled targeted nanoparticles which are capable of resolving inflammation has broad application in medicine including the treatment of atherosclerosis,” said Omid Farokhzad, MD, physician-scientist at BWH, and a co-senior author of this study.

Polymers consisting of three chains attached end-to-end were developed as building blocks for the engineering of self-assembled targeted nanoparticles; one chain enabled the entrapment and controlled release of the therapeutic payload, in this case a peptide which mimics the pro-resolving properties of the Annexin A1 protein. Another chain conferred stealth properties to the nanoparticles, enabling their long-circulation after systemic administration. Yet a third chain gave homing capability to the nanoparticles to target the collagen IV protein to the vascular wall. As such these nanoparticles are capable of selectively sticking to injured vasculature allowing their therapeutic anti-inflammatory cargo to be released where it is needed to effectively promote inflammation resolution in a deliberate and targeted manner.

“These targeted polymeric nanoparticles are capable of stopping neutrophils, which are the most abundant form of white blood cells, from infiltrating sites of disease or injury at very small doses. This action stops the neutrophils from secreting further signaling molecules which can lead to a constant hyper-inflammatory state and further disease complications,” said Nazila Kamaly, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at BWH and co-lead author of this study.

“Nanoparticles that selectively bind to injured vasculature could have a profound impact in prevalent diseases, such as atherosclerosis, where damaged or comprised vasculature underlie the pathology. This work offers a novel targeted nanomedicine to the burgeoning field of inflammation-resolution, a field previously pioneered by BWH’s Dr. Charles Serhan,” said Gabrielle Fredman, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University Medical Center and co-lead author of this study.

These new developments have led the researchers to start investigating the potential of these pro-resolving nanomedicines for their effects on shrinking atherosclerotic plaques, and these studies are currently underway.

This news release does not offer any information as to what type of studies might be underway. My guess is that we are still years away from human clinical trials. Azonano also features this work in a Mar. 19, 2013 news item.

Israel’s Prime Minister to offer US President Obama two nanoscale Declarations of Independence

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President Barack Obama will receive his present of a nanoscale document containing the US and Israeli Declarations of Independence in Israel, according to a Mar. 19, 2013 news item by Kevin Hattori on phys.org,

In a ceremony to be held on Wednesday, March 20, [2013] in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present U.S. President Barack Obama with nano-sized inscribed replicas of the Declarations of Independence of the United States and the State of Israel. Created by scientists at the Technion’s Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), at the request of PM Netanyahu, the Declarations appear side-by-side on a gold-coated silicon chip smaller than a pinhead. The juxtaposition symbolizes the shared values of both countries.

Hattori’s Mar. 18, 2013 news release for the American Technion Society (ATS), and the origin for the phys.org news item, provides this technical detail,

The area of the etched inscriptions is 0.04 square millimeters, and 0.00002 millimeters (20 nanometers) deep. The chip is affixed to a Jerusalem Stone dating to the Second Temple Period (1st Century BCE to 1st Century CE).

“This unique application of cutting-edge technology is just one example of Israel’s remarkable leadership in high-tech,” said Technion President Peretz Lavie.

The text was written using a focused ion beam (FIB) generator that shot tiny particles called Gallium ions onto a gold surface covering a base layer of silicon.  In a process that can be likened to digging a hole in the earth using a water jet, the ion beam etched the surface of the gold layer, making the underlying silicon layer visible.

The original image was translated into etching instructions using a special program developed for this purpose by Dr. Ohad Zohar, who conducted his Ph.D. under Prof. Uri Sivan of the Technion Physics Department. The engraving was done by Dr. Tzipi Cohen-Hyams, head of the RBNI Focused Ion Beam Lab. Other members of the team were Prof. Wayne D. Kaplan, Prof. Nir Tessler, Mr. Yaacov Shneider, Dr. Orna Ternyak, and Ms. Svetlana Yoffis.  The work was conducted in the Technion’s Sara and Moshe Zisapel Nanoelectronics Center and the Wolfson Microelectronics Research and Teaching Center.

Here’s what the chip looks like,

Chip containing U.S. and Israeli Declarations of Independence, on Jerusalem stone (downloaded from http://www.ats.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7807&news_iv_ctrl=1161]

Chip containing U.S. and Israeli Declarations of Independence, on Jerusalem stone (downloaded from http://www.ats.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7807&news_iv_ctrl=1161]

There’s also this video describing how the work was done,

Eliminate deodorants and antiperspirants with 1940s gas mask technology

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A Mar. 19, 2013 news item on Nanowerk details a technology from UK company, Odegon Technologies, which could eliminate the use of deodorants and antiperspirants,

Underarm clothing tags which harness and store the molecules responsible for the smell of perspiration will be made available on the UK high street from March [2013].

The breakthrough invention from technical fabric innovators, Odegon Technologies, eliminates the unwanted smell resulting from human sweat via a small and discrete 7cm x 4cm fabric tag housing a three-dimensional mesh of highly absorbent material. The DeoTags will be discreetly sewn into the underarm of three suits and one blazer available nationwide and online by UK retailer, Marks & Spencer (M&S). As part of the retailer’s summer range, the tailoring offers consumers a unique solution to unwanted smells in the summer weather, and as such, could reduce dry cleaning costs and prolong the life of the garment.

Jasmin Malik Chua in a June 16, 2010 article for ecouterre about the product (called Odour Tags at the time) gives some technical information (Note:  A link has been removed),

Dubbed “Odour Tags,” the stink-eliminating patches are chemical-free, inert, odorless (naturally), and non-allergenic, according to the Shropshire, England-based firm. The tag can be integrated into the underarm area of the garment by clothing manufacturers or sold as an iron-on patch for application at home. In both cases, notes Odegon, the tag will remain permanently in place for the life of the clothing, no matter how many times it’s washed or dried.

… Made from nanoporous carbon, the surface area of the active inner material is composed of myriad peaks and troughs, which attract and trap odor molecules by Van der Waals forces until the garment is cleaned and the molecules are flushed out.Activated carbon itself has a storied history; it was patented in 1942 by the British Ministry of Defence for use in gas masks and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) protection suits.

I gather Odegon has changed its product name from Odour Tags to DeoTags. As for the company itself, the news item states that it was formed in 2010. You can find more information in Chua’s article (which is copiously illustrated), in the news item, or at the Odegon company website.

A couple of nanoscientists and the Canada Research Chair (CRC) programme

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The announcements about Canada’s latest round of Canada Research Chairs were made on Friday, Mar. 15, 2013 (that’s when I received a news release from Simon Fraser University [Vancouver, Canada] about their bonanza). The Canada Research Chairs programme has issued a Mar. 15, 2012 news release but it has no details as to which chairs have been awarded, so I can only offer information from the two agencies touting their nanotechnology chairs.

Simon Fraser University (SFU) had this to say about its latest financial windfall (from the SFU Mar. 15, 2013 news release),

Four Simon Fraser University researchers will gain nearly $2.9 million to continue their research fellowships as Canada Research Chairs in areas as diverse as climate change, marine conservation, children’s health, and nanotechnology.

The funds are part of a $90.6 million injection by the federal government into the Canada Research Chair program, supporting 120 newly awarded and renewed chairs across the country.

Here’s the information about the nanotechnology/materials science chair (from the SFU news release),

Chemistry professor Neil Branda of Chemistry has begun his second seven-year term as SFU’s Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Materials Science.  Operating at the crossroads of organic chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology, his research program involves the design and synthesis of photo-responsive compounds and their integration with nanosystems.

Branda, a recognized leader in materials science and co-founder of SFU’s 4D LABS, heads the Prometheus Project, a collaboration of BC’s research universities that will bring global attention to B.C.’s rich capabilities in this industry-relevant field.

I highlighted some information about Branda and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which had just announced its funding for the Prometheus Project, in a Jan. 15, 2013 posting,

The Federal Government of Canada in the guise of the Canada Foundation for Innovation has just awarded $7.7M to Simon Fraser University (SFU) and its partners for a global innovation hub. From the Jan. 15, 2013 Canada Foundation for Innovation news release,

British Columbia’s research-intensive universities are coming together to create a global hub for materials science and engineering. Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Institute of Technology have received $7.7 million in funding from the Canada Foundation of Innovation to create the Prometheus Project — a research hub for materials science and engineering innovation and commercialization.

“Our goal with the Prometheus Project is to turn our world-class research capacity into jobs and growth for the people of British Columbia,” said Neil Branda, Canada Research Chair in Materials Science at Simon Fraser University and leader of the Prometheus Project. [emphasis added for Mar. 18, 2013 posting]

According to the Mar. 16, 2013 news item on Azonano there was also an announcement in the province of Alberta,

The Honourable Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, today announced an investment of $5.8 million to support eight Canada Research Chairs in Alberta as part of the national announcement made by the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology).

…

Today’s event featured Dr. Tian Tang, Canada Research Chair in Nano-biomolecular Hybrid Materials at the University of Alberta. Dr. Tang and her team are working to better understand how nano-sized organic and inorganic materials interact. Their research will help future scientists and innovators develop nano-sized machines that could be useful in electronics, computing, manufacturing and health care. This research will help establish Canada’s leadership in this field, which is expected to be one of the most commercially important and fastest-growing areas of health care and engineering in the 21st century.

Congratulations to all the researchers!