European Researchers in the Field of Nanobiotechnology develop Joint Research Projects

Barcelona, Spain, Sep 30th, 2004. About 100 European scientists will participate at the next Nano2Life research meeting from 18.10. until 19.10. in Barcelona, Spain.

The purpose of this European meeting is to identify gaps which limit fundamental and technological breakthroughs in nanobiotechnology; to prioritize research topics based on existing expertise and according to identified needs; and to initiate new projects. In fact, the community of European nanobiotechnology researchers has agreed on a joint program of activities and has met in several meetings to tackle the fragmentation of European nanobiotechnology.

The first European Network of Excellence in Nanobiotechnology
Nano2Life was founded in February 2004 and represents the first European network of scientific excellence devoted to research in nanobiotechnology. It constitutes a unique opportunity to bring together scientists from across Europe. The network includes 870 scientists from 23 organizations, from both academic and commercial sectors as well as from across various disciplines; all aiming at advancing nanobiotechnological research through knowledge-sharing, joint research projects and the establishment of a pan-European framework for future actions in such field. Nano2Life is supported by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme.

A central objective of Nano2Life is to transform science into an economic asset, through collaborations among a variety of companies in this field. The purpose of the network is to establish durable relationships among companies; to promote industrial cooperation and interactions; to identify and encourage business opportunities; and generally to seek to improve the research-industry relationship in nanobiotechnology.

”Our goal is to create a shared vision about the future of nano-bio research and its envisioned applications, taking into consideration technological barriers, public acceptance and market orientation”, said Dr. Aharon Hauptman, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv University's Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis and Forecasting (ICTAF), who is involved with the Nano2Life program.

In early September, the ICTAF, along with TAU's Research Institute for nanoscience and Nanotechnology, hosted the meeting of some workgroup members from 18 European countries, and presented some preliminary findings drawn from survey work currently underway. Among the topics discussed were ethical and regulatory issues, public acceptance and communications problems.

Ethics
In fact, the novelty of the field of nanobiotechnology is responsible for the lack of expertise in ethical issues. Nano2Life is the first European organization to have established an ethical board in charge of developing and setting groundbreaking guidelines involving this area of concerns for all future activities in this field. The Nano2Life ethical committee is joined by experts in this topic within the medical, environmental and animal fields of research.

The creation of ethical guidelines is necessary since in many cases nanobiotechnological devices and research will improve or replace existing disease treatments. In these circumstances also the ethical impact of such advancements need to be closely examined and clear-cut ethical procedures need to be followed. To this end, researchers at Münster University in Germany are currently working on a survey of existing published discussions in the field of nanobiotechnology on related ethical issues. A preliminary report of the study was presented at the first Nano2Life Ethical Board meeting, held in Münster, Germany, on July 23-24, 2004.