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Nanotechnology at NIBIB

This page contains information about currently active  research and training opportunities related to nanotechnology and nanoscience.  For more information about nanotechnology at NIH, please visit: http://www.nih.gov/science/nanotechnology/index.htm.

While much of biology is grounded in nanoscale phenomena, NIH has not re-classified most of its basic research portfolio as nanotechnology. Only those studies that use nanotechnology tools and concepts to study biology; that propose to engineer biological molecules toward functions very different from those they have in nature; or that manipulate biological systems by methods more precise than can be done by using molecular biological, synthetic chemical, or biochemical approaches that have been used for years in the biology research community, are classified as nanotechnology projects.

NIH participates in the National Nanotechnology Initiative (http://www.nano.gov/).

The NIH Nanotechnology Task Force includes representatives from Institutes, Centers, and Offices across the NIH. The 2008 Statement of Purpose and Roster can be found here (Adobe PDF 102K).

Nanomedicine NIH Roadmap Initiatives

• Nanomedicine Roadmap Homepage

NIH Reports Releated to Nanotechnology

• NIBIB/DOE Workshop on Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology - March 17-18, 2005
  
• NHLBI Nanotechnology Working Group Report
• NCI Cancer Nanotechnology Brochure

Other Trans-NIH Initiatives

• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medcine (R01)
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine (R21)
• Bioengineering Research Partnerships
• Exploratory/Developmental (R21) Bioengineering Research Grants

National Cancer Institute (NCI/NIH)

• NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer (including current funding opportunities)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI/NIH)

• NHLBI Programs of Excellence in Nanotechnology

National Institute of General Medical Sciences NIGMS/NIH)

• Single Molecule Biophysics and Nanoscience

Research on, and development of, new and improved instruments, methods, and technologies for nanoscience, and for the analysis of single protein and nucleic acid molecules and their complexes in vivo and in vitro. Current approaches include optical and fluorescent spectroscopies, scanning probe microscopy, and biomechanical techniques to analyze the behavior and heterogeneity of single molecules and subcellular structures at the nanometer scale. Examples of targets for study include protein or RNA folding, enzyme catalysis, signaling, molecular machines, and the assembly and dynamics of complex cellular structures. A major goal is to develop and enhance existing methods and reagents for the 3-D visualization of cellular processes in living cells in real time at high resolution. For more information, contact Dr. C. Lewis (LewisC@nigms.nih.gov).

National Toxicology Program (NTP)

• Three agencies form the core of the NTP:
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIEHS/NIH)
  • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NIOSH/CDC)
  • National Center for Toxicological Research of the Food and Drug Administration (NCTR/FDA)
• The NTP is conducting studies on the toxicology of nanoscale materials.
  • Report of the first nanotoxicology workshop (http://www.nanotoxicology.ufl.edu/) aimed at developing appropriate experimental strategies for evaluating the safety/toxicity of nanomaterials
  • Description of the NTP study: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntpweb/index.cfm?objectid=7E6B19D0-BDB5-82F8-FAE73011304F542A
    
  • A fact sheet is available here (Adobe PDF 435K).

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