Sep 25 2008
Smaller than a spot on a ladybug...one nanometer is a length scale invisible to the naked eye, but one which has opened up a world of new science and engineering. From tennis balls with super bouncibility to nanosized particles for treating cancer, developments in nanotechnology are bringing solutions to applications never before imagined. But what exactly is nanotechnology? How will it impact our future? How can we learn more about this emerging field?
The 2008 Cleveland NanoMedicine Summit is the anchor event for NanoWeek in Cleveland, now in its fifth year. It is being co-hosted by Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and NorTech's Nano Network. This conference brings together scientists, clinicians, business professionals, investors and others to learn, discuss and interact under the umbrella of nanomedicine. This year's conference will be held over the course of two days on Thursday and Friday, September 25 and 26 at the Ritz Carlton in Cleveland.
The 2008 summit will focus on the use of nanoparticles for diagnostics and therapeutics. Session highlights include:
- Imaging cancer
- Drug delivery for cancer
- Biological investigation with nanoparticles
- Basic research using nanoparticle building blocks for nanomedicine
- Nanoparticles for gene therapy
Case Western Reserve faculty serving as speakers and presenters include Pamela B. Davis, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president of medical affairs; Stanton Gerson, M.D., director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and professor of medicine; James Basilion, associate professor, departments of radiology and biomedical engineering and director, NFCR Center for Molecular Imaging; Clemens Burda, director, Center for Chemical Dynamics and Nanomaterials Research and professor of chemistry; and Ashfin Dowlati, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve and University Hospitals.
In addition, Alexis Abramson, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Case School of Engineering, a senior fellow at NorTech, and executive director of the Nano Network, will be providing free "Nano 101" talks to Northeast Ohio schools during NanoWeek. These 45-minute sessions engage students in a discussion about nanotechnology as Abramson guides them through understanding its impact. Abramson has been giving her well-received "Nano 101" talks since 2006 to a wide ranging audience from preschoolers to multibillion dollar technology corporations.