| Posted: October 9, 2008 |
NanoKTN creates fourth theme: Bionanotechnology and Nanomedicine |
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(Nanowerk News) The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK's primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, has announced a 20-month partnership with Bio Nano Consulting (BNC) Ltd and the creation of the NanoKTN's fourth theme, Bionano and Nanomedicine.
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This new technology partnership will support all UK bionano and nanomedicine capabilities and provide thought leadership and input into UK Government policy and strategy related to this area. BNC and NanoKTN will promote technology transfer and communication between researchers and industry, and encourage debate amongst interested parties regarding the key ethical issues surrounding the potential impact of nanotechnology in biotechnology and medicine.
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The NanoKTN and BNC will launch and coordinate at least four focus groups per year, all dealing with a variety of Bionanotechnology and Nanomedicine related topics, such as drug delivery and discovery, nano diagnostics and biomedical electronics. In addition, it aims to organise a major flagship event, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust, scheduled for February 2009, to cover the use of Nanotechnology in areas such as Regenerative Medicine.
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This partnership between the NanoKTN and BNC includes the secondment of Dr Mike Fisher to the role of Theme Manager. As Theme Manager, Mike Fisher will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operational activities of the Bionano and Nanomedicine theme for the NanoKTN. Most recently, Fisher worked for UK Trade & Investment as the UK government's Life Science Industry Advisor covering North America, leading market analysis and intelligence projects, identifying opportunities and threats to international investment, and representing the UK regulatory agencies in the US. Fisher has written numerous published papers, the most recent paper concerning early stage clinical trials in the UK.
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„I am delighted to be associated with an innovative organisation that is contributing to the global growth and importance of nanotechnology, particularly in the healthcare and life science sectors. This project will raise the awareness of Bionano and Nanomedicine and support the next generation of its capabilities,‰ explains Mike Fisher. „With so many recent and positive developments in Bionano and Nanomedicine, this is the right time for the NanoKTN to be promoting and supporting this area of work. This is an extremely exciting opportunity.‰
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BNC is jointly owned by University College London (UCL) and Imperial College and was founded in 2005 as part of the DTI (now Technology Strategy Board) Micro & Nano Technology (MNT) initiative. To date BNC has received almost £5 million in government funding to create and operate a Bio-nanotechnology centre of excellence. As part of the original remit of the BNC, it was stipulated that they participate in the creation and management of a UK Bio-Nano Network. As this is the purpose behind the NanoKTN's Bionano and Nanomedicine theme, BNC is ideally suited to handle this contract.
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Director of the NanoKTN, Dr Alec Reader, comments, „Working with the BNC has many benefits and I am looking forward to seeing this theme evolve. Mike Fisher's wealth of contacts in the Bionano and Nanomedicine space will be invaluable to the NanoKTN.‰ Reader concludes, „This is a great opportunity for us to promote the positive work of the UK Bionano and Nanomedicine sector.‰
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Bionano and Nanomedicine is being widely applied with positive affect. For example, the US biotech company Abraxis has developed world's first and only protein-bound chemotherapeutic compound, ABRAXANE® for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin bound), which is based on the company's proprietary tumor targeting technology known as the nabÔ platform. The first product to use this nab platform, ABRAXANE, was launched in the United States in 2005 for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Approximately 45,000 patients have been treated with ABRAXANE in the United States. ABRAXANE has since been approved for marketing in 35 countries.
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Established by the Technology Strategy Board, the NanoKTN is managed by Centre for Process Innovation Ltd, a leading technology development and consulting company.
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About NanoKTN
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The NanoKTN (www.nanoktn.com) facilitates the transfer of knowledge and experience between industry and research, offering companies dealing in small-scale technology access to information on new processes, patents and funding as well as keeping up-to-date with industry regulation. The four broad areas that the NanoKTN focuses on are: Promoting and facilitating knowledge exchange, supporting the growth of UK capabilities, raising awareness of Nanotechnology, and providing thought leadership and input to UK policy and strategy.
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About Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs)
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Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs) are national networks in specific fields of technology or business application, which bring together people from businesses, universities, research, finance, the public sector and technology organisations to stimulate innovation through knowledge exchange.
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Funded by the Technology Strategy Board, their activities play an increasingly important role in the development of the Government's technology strategy, and help to feed and drive the Collaborative Research & Development Programme and other innovation interventions. There are currently 24 KTNs with a total membership of about 25,000 people. For further information please see www.ktnetworks.co.uk
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About CPI
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The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) was established by One Northeast as a UK wide resource to stimulate and drive innovation within the Process Industry. Working with global industry partners and leading research universities CPI is committed to delivering world-class, groundbreaking applied research and development.
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About The Technology Strategy Board
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The Technology Strategy Board (www.innovateuk.org ) is a business-led executive non-departmental public body, established by the government. Its role is to promote and support research into, and development and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve the quality of life.
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About Bio Nano Consulting
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The BNC (www.bio-nano-consulting.com ) is a specialist research and development consultancy operating in the convergent field of bio-nanotechnology. A joint venture of Imperial College London and University College London, the BNC is funded through the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) with additional support from the London Development Agency (LDA).
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Along with its partner organisation, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the BNC offers a service to the biomedical and healthcare industries in microsystems and nanotechnology. This encompasses design, 3-D modelling and visualisation, rapid prototyping, and characterisation.
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