Nov 20 2008
For some, nanotechnology is known by its applications in nanoelectronics, from PDAs to computers. But College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) professor Dr. Nathaniel Cady is using nanotechnology to address human diseases.
Specifically, he's building devices to help identify disease-causing materials. But rather than waiting weeks for lab tests, he is working to develop and advance technologies that can produce faster laboratory results.
This cutting-edge research is happening daily at CNSE, which has become the world's hub for nanotechnology, and is ranked #1 among all colleges and universities in the world for nanotechnology by Small Times Magazine. The NanoCollege is attracting top faculty from prestigious higher education institutions around the globe, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in India, and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China.
"One area that distinguishes CNSE is that the facilities and equipment are unparalleled," said Cady, who received his doctorate in microbiology from Cornell University. "This College has the intellectual and physical infrastructure for research that you can't find anywhere else."
Cady's research includes developing biosensors to detect biological agents, like DNA, as well as devices, such as catheters, that can repel bacteria. His research is often interdisciplinary in nature, so he takes advantage of the University's strong academic programs by tapping into the expertise of other UAlbany professors in areas such as public health and life sciences.
He also leverages the close relationships fostered between the NanoCollege and its growing number of global corporate partners located on-site at CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex. This means technologies developed by Cady and other CNSE researchers are thrust directly into the marketplace.
Clearly, Cady and other CNSE researchers are demonstrating global leadership in the rapidly-developing nanotechnology field.
"It's an exciting time to study nanotechnology and nanobioscience because there's so much promise of what can be done with it," said Cady.