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09/13/04
NIH to provide $144
million for cancer nanotechnology
By Mary
Mosquera
GCN Staff
The National Institutes of
Health’s National Cancer Institute announced today a $144.3
million, five-year initiative to develop and apply
nanotechnology to cancer research.
Nanotechnology expands
the scientific advances in genomics and proteomics and builds
on scientists’ understanding of the molecular underpinnings of
cancer, the agency said. NIH is part of the Health and Human
Services Department.
"Nanotechnology has the
potential to radically increase our options for prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of cancer," said Dr. Andrew von
Eschenbach, director of the National Cancer Institute.
Nanotechnology, the
development and engineering of devices so small that they are
measured on a molecular scale, has already demonstrated
promising results in cancer research and treatment, he said.
NIH plans that the initiative, the NCI Alliance for
Nanotechnology in Cancer, will integrate cancer-related
nanotechnology research from public and private organizations
and accelerate its application into clinical practice. It will
encompass partnerships involving physicists, biologists,
clinicians, engineers and other experts that can translate
knowledge on cancer and nanotechnology into clinically useful
products.
The National Cancer
Institute will work with the National Institute of Standards
and Technology to collaborate on standards and with the Food
and Drug Administration to define the critical pathway for
nanotechnologies to reach the clinic.
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