nano tech 2012 International Nanotechnology Exhibition & Conference Tiny brains created from SKIN could lead to cures for disorders like schizophrenia and autism Scientists used stem cells to grow 3D tissue that mimics a brainThe cells displayed an organisation similar to that seen in the early stages of the developing human brain's cerebral cortex - also known as grey matterThe miniature brains helped the researchers identify a defect that affects normal brain development in microcephaly leading to a smaller brainThe findings could eventually lead to treatments for other neurological disorders By Emma Innes Published: 18:19 GMT, 28 August 2013 | Updated: 00:00 GMT, 29 August 2013 A ‘brain in a bottle’ has been grown by stem cell scientists who hope it will lead to treatments for neurological and mental diseases. The ‘organoids’, three to four millimetres across, have a structure similar to that of an immature human brain. But the scientists insist that they are still far from creating an artificial brain – or even parts for damaged brains. ‘We are satisfied - or we hope - we will be able to model some of these defects as well.’
Easy and effective therapy to restore sight: Engineered virus will improve gene therapy for blinding eye diseases Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed an easier and more effective method for inserting genes into eye cells that could greatly expand gene therapy to help restore sight to patients with blinding diseases ranging from inherited defects like retinitis pigmentosa to degenerative illnesses of old age, such as macular degeneration. Unlike current treatments, the new procedure is quick and surgically non-invasive, and it delivers normal genes to hard-to-reach cells throughout the entire retina. Over the last six years, several groups have successfully treated people with a rare inherited eye disease by injecting a virus with a normal gene directly into the retina of an eye with a defective gene. Despite the invasive process, the virus with the normal gene was not capable of reaching all the retinal cells that needed fixing. Harnessing a benign virus for gene therapy Coauthors include graduate students Deniz Dalkara and Leah C.
Nanotechnology News - Nanoscience, Nanotechnolgy, Nanotech News Biofilms—the eradication has begun Have you ever heard of biofilms? They are slimy, glue-like membranes that are produced by microbes, like bacteria and fungi, in order to colonize surfaces. They can grow on animal and plant tissues, and even inside the human ... UN says world population will reach 9.8 billion in 2050 India's population is expected to surpass China's in about seven years and Nigeria is projected to overtake the United States and become the third most populous country in the world shortly before 2050, a U.N. report said ... Record UK rainfall in winter 2013-14 caused by tropics, stratosphere and climate warming New research has revealed the causes of the UK's record rainfall and subsequent flooding during the 2013-14 winter. Rare US total solar eclipse excites Americans coast-to-coast For the first time in almost a century the United States is preparing for a coast-to-coast solar eclipse, a rare celestial event millions of Americans, with caution, will be able to observe.
Nanotechnology Nanotechnology ("nanotech") is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology[1][2] referred to the particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabrication of macroscale products, also now referred to as molecular nanotechnology. A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. This definition reflects the fact that quantum mechanical effects are important at this quantum-realm scale, and so the definition shifted from a particular technological goal to a research category inclusive of all types of research and technologies that deal with the special properties of matter that occur below the given size threshold. Origins[edit] Comparison of Nanomaterials Sizes
Understanding Nanomedicine: An Infographic Nanomedicine is a field of medical science that involves the use of objects and substances at the molecular level. Basically, it is the application of nanotechnology to medicine. Currently, nanomedicine is used for nanoparticle drug delivery where medicine is delivered to a specific area of the body through a nanosized container or vessel. Molecular nanotechnology (MNT) and nanovaccinology are also some of the potential future application for this field of science. Nanoscale technology in medical applications results in the use of smaller non-invasive devices that can be implanted or inserted inside the body which results in shorter biochemical reaction times.
Tiny Nanomotors Successfully Placed Inside Live Human Cells For The First Time Scientists have successfully placed tiny synthetic motors in live human cells through nanotechnology. Using ultrasonic waves as the power source and magnets to steer, the nanomotors can zip around the cell and perform tasks. The main obstacle for placing nanomotors in cells is the power source. Previous nanomotors needed toxic fuels to propel them. It wouldn't move in a biological environment. The researchers at Penn State University and at Weinberg Medical Physics found that ultrasonic waves can be used to power these motors and that magnetic fields can be used to steer them. The image above is that of a HeLa cell with some gold-ruthenium nanomotors inside it. Bionanotechnology is fast becoming popular in medical and scientific research. For the first time, a team of chemists and engineers at Penn State University have placed tiny synthetic motors inside live human cells, propelled them with ultrasonic waves and steered them magnetically. Video: Nanomotors in Cells
Long Term Implantable Bio-Sensors Developed Using Carbon Nanotubes Using carbon nanotubes, scientists have developed a biosensor that can be implanted under the skin that will last more than a year. They have also developed a short term biosensor that can travel through the blood stream flowing through the different organs of the body without causing damage. In order to get a reading and collect data from the sensors, a laser that produces near-infrared light is used to detect the fluorescent signal off of the nanotube based devices. The long term biosensor was made to detect nitric oxide (NO) levels in the body for monitoring cancerous cells. For the biosensor to last under the skin, it is embedded in a gel made from a polymer called alginate for protection. This application is not limited to NO detection, it can also be used to detect glucose (blood sugar) levels in the body for monitoring diabetes. "Nitric oxide has contradictory roles in cancer progression, and we need new tools in order to better understand it," says Michael Strano, the Carbon P.
How Nanotechnology Works" There's an unprecedented multidisciplinary convergence of scientists dedicated to the study of a world so small, we can't see it -- even with a light microscope. That world is the field of nanotechnology, the realm of atoms and nanostructures. Nanotechnology is so new, no one is really sure what will come of it. Even so, predictions range from the ability to reproduce things like diamonds and food to the world being devoured by self-replicating nanorobots. In order to understand the unusual world of nanotechnology, we need to get an idea of the units of measure involved. A centimeter is one-hundredth of a meter, a millimeter is one-thousandth of a meter, and a micrometer is one-millionth of a meter, but all of these are still huge compared to the nanoscale. As small as a nanometer is, it's still large compared to the atomic scale. In a lecture called "Small Wonders:The World of Nanoscience," Nobel Prize winner Dr. In the next section, we'll learn more about our world on the nanoscale.