Genetic Engineering News Reports on Advances in Nanobiotechnology FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 05, 2003 3:00 PM - BusinessWire
LARCHMONT, N.Y., Sep 5, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nanobiotech companies are developing miniaturized components that could revolutionize medical implants, ophthalmic surgery tools, cell manipulators, and nanofluidics, reports Genetic Engineering News (GEN; www.genengnews.com). Some firms are manufacturing nanotech systems for homeland security and other applications in national defense, according to two related articles in the September issue of GEN.
"Nanotech received a huge boost with the introduction of the atomic force microscope in the late 1980s because this allowed scientists to take measurements at the atomic level," says John Sterling, editor-in-chief of GEN. "Now, with the increasing importance of semiconductors and computers in biological research and with the leading roles played by physical scientists at nanobiotech companies, the field has really begun to take off."
An example of the merging of physics and biology can be seen in the case of BioTrove (Woburn, MA). Working with Pfizer (PFE) , BioTrove put together an ultrahigh-throughput mass spectrometry system that allows the user to perform mass spectrometry on nanoliter samples.
Another prime application for nanotech is biosensors. In Australia, Ambri Biosensor (ASX:ABI) has created a sensor out of a biological system called "ion channels," which play a key role in new drug discovery and development." The company's Ion Channel Switch technology is a self-assembling synthetic biomembrane with an ion channel in it. It can detect the presence of specific molecules and signal their presence by triggering an electrical current. Ambri has incorporated this technology into a system that has the potential to detect and measure drugs, hormones, viruses, and bacteria in less than five minutes.
Cytoplex Biosciences, a Carrolton, TX-based company, is also developing biosensors based on ion channels. The firm is creating nanoengineered material surfaces and devices have wide applications in cell based assays, diagnostics, drug delivery, and biomaterials.
"The U.S. Government is well aware of the importance of this emerging field," notes Sterling. "In May, the House and Senate voted to approve over $2 billion over the next three years for R&D in nanotechnology."
Such support helps fuel the activities of companies like Nanosys (Palo Alto, CA), which just signed an agreement with SAIC (McLean, VA), a research and engineering company. SAIC will fund selected R&D projects at Nanosys to develop nanotechnology enabled systems for defense and related government programs.
Other companies discussed in the GEN nanobiotechnology articles include Evident Technologies (Troy, NY), Agilent Technologies (A) , Nanostream (Pasadena, CA), Agie (Losone, Switzerland), Mecartex (Losone), Concentris (Basel), IBM (IBM) , eSpin Technologies (Chattanooga, TN), Nanogen (NGEN) , Nanoworld (Neuchatel, Switzerland), Zeptosens (Witterswil, Switzerland), Novartis (NVS) , and Qiagen (QGENF) .
Genetic Engineering News is published 21 times a year by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. For a copy of the magazine, please call 914-834-3100, ext. 623, or email: ebicovny@liebertpub.com
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