Mihail C. Roco

Nanotechnology: convergence with modern biology and medicine.

The worldwide emergence of nanoscale science and engineering was marked by the announcement of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in January 2000. Recent research on biosystems at the nanoscale has created one of the most dynamic science and technology domains at the confluence of physical sciences, molecular engineering, biology, biotechnology and medicine. This domain includes better understanding of living and thinking systems, revolutionary biotechnology processes, the synthesis of new drugs and their targeted delivery, regenerative medicine, neuromorphic engineering and developing a sustainable environment. Nanobiosystems research is a priority in many countries and its relevance within nanotechnology is expected to increase in the future.

Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance

This report incorporates the views expressed at the workshop of leading experts from government, academia, and private sector, and detailed in contributions submitted thereafter by members of the U.S. science and engineering community. Acknowledgements The contribution of all participants in this study in developing a coherent vision for Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance is acknowledged. The initial group that began planning this study in Spring 2001 is composed W. About the cover: The arrow suggests the combined role of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology in accelerating advancement of mental, physical, and overall human performance. This report was prepared under the guidance of NSET. Any opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government.

Societal implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology

Executive Summary. 1. Introduction. 2. Nanotechnology Goals. 3. Nanotechnology and Societal Interactions. 4. Social Science Approaches for Assessing Nanotechnologys Implications. 5. Recommendations. 6. Statements on Societal Implications. Bibliography. Appendices.

Broader Societal Issues of Nanotechnology

Nanoscale science and engineering are providing unprecedented understanding and control over the basic building blocks of matter, leading to increased coherence in knowledge, technology, and education. The main reason for developing nanotechnology is to advance broad societal goals such as improved comprehension of nature, increased productivity, better healthcare, and extending the limits of sustainable development and of human potential. This paper outlines societal implication activities in nanotechnology R&D programs. The US National Nanotechnology Initiative annual investment in research with educational and societal implications is estimated at about

Nanostructure Science and Technology

30 million (of which National Science Foundation (NSF) awards about

Longitudinal patent analysis for nanoscale science and engineering: Country, institution and technology field

23 million including contributions to student fellowships), and in nanoscale research with relevance to environment at about

Nanotechnology Research Directions for Societal Needs in 2020

50 million (of which NSF awards about

Converging science and technology at the nanoscale: opportunities for education and training

30 million and EPA about

Nanoparticles and Nanotechnology Research

6 million). An appeal is made to researchers and funding organizations worldwide to take timely and responsible advantage of the new technology for economic and sustainable development, to initiate societal implications studies from the beginning of the nanotechnology programs, and to communicate effectively the goals and potential risks with research users and the public.

Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance: Integrating From the Nanoscale

Nanostructure science and technology now forms a common thread that runs through all physical and materials sciences and is emerging in industrial applications as nanotechnology. The breadth of the subject material is demonstrated by the fact that it covers and intertwines many of the traditional areas of physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. Within each main topic in this field there can be many subfields. For example, the electrical properties of nanostructured materials is a topic that can cover electron transport in semiconductor quantum dots, self-assembled molecular nanostructures, carbon nanotubes, chemically tailored hybrid magnetic-semiconductor nanostructures, colloidal quantum dots, nanostructured superconductors, nanocrystalline electronic junctions, etc. Obviously, no one book can cope with such a diversity of subject matter. The nanostructured material system is, however, of increasing significance in our technology-dominated economy and this suggests the need for a series of books to cover recent developments. The scope of the series is designed to cover as much of the subject matter as possible – from physics and chemistry to biology and medicine, and from basic science to applications. At present, the most significant subject areas are concentrated in basic science and mainly within physics and chemistry, but as time goes by more importance will inevitably be given to subjects in applied science and will also include biology and medicine. The series will naturally accommodate this flow of developments in the sciences and technology of nanostructures and maintain its topicality by virtue of its broad emphasis. It is important that emerging areas in the biological and medical sciences, for example, not be ignored as, despite their diversity, developments in this field are often interlinked. The series will maintain the required cohesiveness from a judicious mix of edited volumes and monographs that while covering subfields in depth will also contain more general and interdisciplinary texts. Thus the series is planned to cover in a coherent fashion the developments in basic research from the distinct viewpoints of physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science and also the engineering technologies emerging from this research. Each volume will also reflect this flow from science to technology. As time goes by, the earlier series volumes will then serve as reference texts to subsequent volumes.