University of Toronto researchers have developed a new class of hybrid materials that could one day move drug delivery systems to the molecular level.

The paper published in the Nov. 26 issue of Science outlines how a U of T research team combined two classes of nanomaterials to create an entirely new composite structure. This new porous architecture may one day act as a nanoscale sieve, enabling researchers to release drug molecules in a slow and controlled way. "We hope one day to create a film of this material and spread it on the skin," says the paper's senior author University Professor Geoffrey Ozin of the Department of Chemistry. "By doing so, drugs can be diffused through the skin, rather than injection, which would guarantee a continuous flow of a drug molecule at a tunable rate and concentration."...read the wave

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Our eyes may become more than windows of the soul if a multidisciplinary team of University of Michigan researchers succeeds with a clever combination of nanoparticles and ultrafast pulsed laser to see individual cells as they zip past in the bloodstream.

The U-M team of physicians, scientists and engineers has $3 million from NASA to determine a way of detecting radiation exposure on the fly by looking for individual cells that have been harmed. Now, such cell counting is only achieved by drawing blood and using an expensive machine called a cytometer, operated by a skilled lab technician...read the wave

ATLANTA — It may be tiny, but a new microgenerator developed at Georgia Tech can now produce enough power to run a small electronic device, like a cell phone, and may soon be able to power a laptop...read the wave

| Emerging Nanotechnology Firms and Access to Capital Markets |

On August 4, 2004, Nanosys Inc. withdrew its Initial Public Offering application. Nanosys was widely viewed as the first start-up focused exclusively on nanotechnology to seek to go public. The offering was perceived to be a litmus test for investor interest in the field and many hoped it would clear the way for more nanotech IPOs. Nanosys’ withdrawal, however, made financing prospects for nanotech companies in both public and private markets unclear. A scholarly analysis of the outlook for future nanotech financing activities is urgently needed and in this article, R. Douglas Moffat and Ruben Serrato explore current capital market conditions for nanotech companies seeking funding.

Newswise — Improving significantly on an early prototype, Johns Hopkins University researchers have found a new way to join two unrelated proteins to create a molecular switch, a nanoscale “device” in which one biochemical partner controls the activity of the other. Lab experiments have demonstrated that the new switch performs 10 times more effectively than the early model and that its “on-off” effect is repeatable.

The new technique to produce the molecular switch and related experimental results are reported in the November issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology. The paper builds on earlier research, led by Marc Ostermeier, which demonstrated that it was possible to create a fused protein in which one component sends instructions to the other. The second then carries out the task...read the wave

CORDIS, the Community Research and Development Information Service, has launched a newly revamped information service on 'nanotechnology', bringing together news and information from diverse sources on developments in technologies based on nano-scale engineering.

Nanotechnology applications include health care, information and communication technologies, materials sciences, manufacturing, instrumentation, energy, security and space. Reflecting this growing importance, the European Commission held a public consultation on the future of nanotechnology in Europe, following its communication 'Towards a European strategy for nanotechnology' in May 2004. An action plan is in preparation, and initiatives in this area have been coordinated via the Irish and Dutch Presidencies, as well as the NanoForum, an EU sponsored thematic network for the business, scientific and social communities....read the wave

| A special interview with Dr. Mihail C. ROCO |

This is the part I of this interview. The part II contains the objective of NBIC Convergence project, societal implications and international collaboration on nanotechnology. The part II will be issued on December 9, 2004

HILLSBORO, Ore., PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FEI Company (Nasdaq: FEIC) have announced that it has been selected by the several laboratories that have combined to form the TEAM project, as the R&D partner for building the highest resolution scanning - transmission electron microscope ((S)TEM) in the world. TEAM is a multi-million dollar microscopy project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The project calls for a new microscope that will enable extraordinary new scientific opportunities for direct observation and analysis of individual nanostructures at an unprecedented resolution of 0.5 Angstrom -- approximately one-third the size of a carbon atom -- a key dimension for atomic level research...read the wave

(PRLEAP.COM) SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – November 29, 2004. Advanced Electrical Engineer and physics theorist William T. Gray today released his “Wave-Particle Duality” proof. The mathematical proof, online at www.MQNF.com, provides the first ever predictability for quantum behaviors through an explanation of the experimentally observed but little understood wave-particle relationship...read the wave

Sometime in 2005, startup company NanoDynamics plans to sell a nanotech golf ball that promises to dramatically reduce hooks and slices for even the most frustrated of weekend golfers.

That will be a hint of the future of sports.

NanoDynamics says it’s figured out how to alter the materials in a golf ball at the molecular level so the weight inside shifts less as the ball spins. The less it shifts, the straighter even a badly hit ball will go...read the wave

Switzerland has become the first country in the world to ask its citizens whether scientists should be allowed to carry out research on the stem cells of human embryos. The referendum provided a resounding 'yes' to government proposals, with 66.4 per cent of voters giving their approval.

Tight restrictions will remain on Swiss stem cell research, with stem cell production limited to embryos no more than seven days old. Therapeutic cloning and trade in embryos will be prohibited, along with research on the embryos themselves...read the wave

Nanotechnology's bag of tricks for inventing new molecules and manipulating those available naturally could be dazzling in its potential to improve health care.

Evidence is accumulating that nanotechnology may enable better early warning systems for cancer and heart disease, cures for progressive diseases such as cystic fibrosis, techniques for making implants such as artificial hips more successful, and even provide artificial kidneys...read the wave

A team of Korean scientists was successful in developing a revolutionary technology to mass produce nontoxic uniform nanoparticles, a must in various futuristic applications.

It is the first time ever a technology for mass production of nontoxic uniform particles was developed although small-scale production technology has been tried outside Korea...read the wave

In an interesting turnabout, the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) has just launched a new scheme to jumpstart nanotechnology-based cancer treatments and standards which seems to draw on the EU’s new research instruments under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).

On 13 September, the NCI formally unveiled what it calls the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, a five-year $144.3 million (just over €110 million) initiative to help private and public sector researchers to develop and launch nanotech-based products and standards to tackle the deadly disease..read the wave

C-3PO and R2D2 might be part of tomorrow's work force. But vacuum-cleaners robots, medical robots, surveillance robots, underwater robots and demolition robots are working today.

And rather than replacing humans, robots are creating a booming job market for engineers, software developers and other technical professionals...read the wave

The Internet is getting faster and faster – something which we all take for granted. However, communication on the Internet takes place via tiny pulses of light that are constantly becoming weaker as the network handles the increasing flow of information. Soon, we will reach the limit for how weak the pulses can be and still be able to function as information carriers. When that happens, we will have reached the limit for the Internet as we know it today.

But this is not a limit that can stop these Danish physicists. A new type of Internet, a so-called Quantum Internet, where information is...read the wave