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Health and the environment form focus of latest bio-nanotechnology seed grants (Nanowerk, 6/9/08) |
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June 09, 2008 |
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Little is known about how engineered nanomaterials and
nanoparticles impact human health and the environment. Particles at the scale
of one-billionth of a meter—so small they can slip across the blood-brain
barrier—pose many questions about the safety of nanotechnology used in products
consumed and used by humans. The Institute for NanoBioTechnology at Johns Hopkins
University recently
awarded $100,000 to fund research projects that seek to answer these questions.
Four $25,000 seed grants were given to multidisciplinary research teams to fund
pilot projects across Johns Hopkins.
Risk assessment performed in tandem with research into
beneficial applications will help researchers make better decisions about how
nanotechnology is used in the future, says Jon Links, professor at the
Bloomberg School of Public Health and INBT’s director of Health and Environment
research. “The history of technological research and development is full of
examples of unrecognized risks to health and the
environment—chlorofluorocarbons or asbestos are examples,” Links says. ”It is
imperative to study potential risks to human health and the environment hand-in-hand
with benefit-driven research and development. Doing so provides the best chance
to minimize risk, because risk assessment can inform research and development
at an early stage, leading to alternative pathways.”
Read the full article here.
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Last Updated ( June 09, 2008 )
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