New Report on “Medical Textiles and Sport/Outdoor Textiles”
In the frame of the ObservatoryNANO FP7 Project a new Report on nanotechnology-enhanced technical textiles has been published by AIRI/Nanotec IT and B&W Consulting Venturing. The report is specifically devoted to the areas of outdoor/sport textiles and medical textiles, covering the technological aspects linked to the introduction of nanomaterials into textiles, some relevant examples of products already on the market, and the economic aspects related to the two sectors.
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Innovative Biosensor
ClopHensor is the biosensor able to simultaneously detect two important cellular parameters, pH and chlorine concentration.
Reported by Nature Method, the new sensor is the result of research performed by the NEST Laboratory, belonging to the Italian CNR Nanoscience Institute, and by the Pisa Scuola Normale Superiore. The new device will find application both in the screening of new drugs and in neurologic pathologies diagnostics.
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Predicting nanoparticle toxicity
There is currently little experimental toxicity data on the vast range of available nanoparticles, and it is difficult to measure toxicity directly in any way that allows correlation with the properties of particular materials.
Judging nanoparticle toxicity could be made easier by a new theoretical model that predicts which materials will make nanoparticles that could damage living cells.
The model, put together by Enrico Burello and Andrew Worth (Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy), can predict the available electronic energy levels in the nanoparticle structure, and match them up with the oxidation potentials of reactions that would either remove antioxidants from cells or generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) like hydrogen peroxide or superoxide ions (O2-). Where these two values overlap, it means that the nanoparticles can accept electrons in these processes and cause oxidative stress in cells ..
The model should enable regulators to streamline and prioritise nanotoxicology testing.
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ObservatoryNano reports
ObservatoryNano is a 4 years FP7 support action with 16 partners across Europe, aiming to establish an European observatory on scientific and technological development and economic and social impacts of Nanotechnologies.
Available on the project website updated (2010) reports on S&T developments in 11 application sectors of nanotechnologies and specific documents about regulation, safety and ethical issues of nanotechnologies.
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FramingNano Governance Platform available
FramingNano is a FP7 project, with six European partners and lead by AIRI/Nanotec IT. Objective of the two year support action, that will end in March 2010, is the definition of a proposal to the European Commission and the Members States of a Governance Platform for the responsible development on nanotechnologies.
The Platform has been presented during an international conference held in Brussels on December 15th, 2009 with speakers coming from European institutions, industry, research and civil society organisations, while the final document will be published in February.
The final Governance Platform and the other reports published by the project are now available on the project website.
Download the Governance Platform
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ITALIAN NANOTECHNOLOGY CENSUS
Available the 2° Edition of the Italian Nanotechnology Census prepared by Airi/Nanotec IT. The Census, in English, is a unique source of information for anyone willing to have a comprehensive and up-to-date panorama of nanotechnology in Italy. It contains, in fact, a detailed information on some 180 public and private organization active in nanotechnology (activities and research) and a statistical analysis of the data gathered from them.
The 3rd edition of the Census is in preparation and will be available at the beginning of 2010.
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ObservatoryNano project: The European Observatory on Nanotechnologies

UNI2B –University to Business

Last update: Aug 2010