Innovators
The Stanford University School of Medicine is one of the amazing innovators in the field of Nanotechnology. In 2014, Stanford Researchers succeeded in developing an affordable microchip for a test that could improve diagnosis of Type-1 Diabetes and overall health care for patients throughout the world. Type-1 Diabetes is a disease caused by insulin deficiency, a hormone that stabilizes blood sugar levels in the body. The microchip contains "nanoparticle-sized islands of gold" which allow detection of the antibodies involved in Type-1 Diabetes. (4)
Benefits of the microchip created by Stanford:-
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takes a short amount of time to run the test and deliver results
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more affordable than the old test
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can be used outside of hospitals
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does not require special, professional training
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relatives of Type-1 Diabetic patients can also be tested quickly and cheaply (4)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a research univeristy famous for its programs in science and engineering. MIT was founded in 1861 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MIT supports research in Nanotechnology and covers projects "ranging from atomic-level manipulation to the micro-scale". The goal is to improve facilities in areas such as "communication, healthcare, and transporatation". The Department of Materials Science and Engineering is one of the programs at MIT that are "dedicated" to research at the nanoscale level. (11, 12)
Watch the videos below to learn about specific discoveries and inventions made by MIT!
Rice University
Located in Houston, the Richard E. Smalley Insititute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University has an amazing team of graduate students and faculty and staff members. The Smalley Institute is determined to impact the 5 Grand Challenges: "energy, water, environment, disease and education". Researchers at Rice University study Disciplines such as Analytical Nanotechnology, Nanotechnology in Biology, Health, and Medicine, and Environmental Nanotechnology. (6)
In 2012, studies done by Rice University and MD Anderson found that a cancer therapy, specialized for individual patients, may be developed using carbon nanoparticles. These carbon nanoparticles can be used to enclose chemotherapeutic drugs and eventually deliver them to kill cancer cells directly. The goal is to use "smaller amount of the drug for chemotherapy" to minimize the side effects. (6, 7)
To learn more about the innovations and breakthroughs of Rice University in Nanotechnology, CLICK HERE.
University of Waterloo
Nanotechnology Engineering at University of Waterloo is a field that combines materials science and engineering, chemistry, medicine, biology, and physics. Nanotechnology Engineering programs at Waterloo are just the place for researchers, faculty and staff, and students to work in a clean environment with advanced nanomaterials and experience "hands-on materials science, clean-room fabrication". (9)
In November 2014, three students (as shown in the image to the left) from the University of Waterloo Nanotechnology Engineering developed a Vitameter, which is a great way of "'bringing nanotechnology to consumers to help them take control of their health'". This instrument can easily measure Vitamin D levels by simply inserting a blood sample. The Vitameter is designed to help people test their Vitamin D levels independently at home. (8, 9, 10)
(Citations: 8, 9, 10, Image 4, 6)
Charles M. Lieber
Charles M. Lieber is currently a professor in the "Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology...and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences" at Harvard University. He founded several aspects of nanoscale materials, including the discovery of different properties of such materials and operations of nanoscale wires, in addition to advancements in the applications of a wide range of fields including "nanoelectronics, nanocomputing, biological and chemical sensing, neurobiology and nanophotonics". Lieber also used a "new chemically sensitive microscopy" in order to investigate biologic specimen at nanometer scale. (5)
Lieber received many awards for his contributions in research for nanostructures. He has written over 320 papers and is the dominant inventor on "more than 35 patents". Moreover, he has been ranked #1 for 2000-2010 in Chemistry by Thomson Reuters, and founded the companies Nanosys, Inc. and Vista Therapeutics (2007). (5)
Many of Nanotechnology companies are listed on the page below, click on any to get more information!
Image 4
(Citation: 13)