NIH Nanotechnology Task Force and the NIH Nanomedicine Roadmap initiative host NanoWeek 2009

The NIH Nanotechnology Task Force and the NIH Nanomedicine Roadmap Initiative will host NanoWeek 2009 from Tuesday, April 7 through Friday, April 10 at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. NIH's first-of-a-kind series of events focusing on science at the nanoscale, NanoWeek 2009 will include symposia with experts in the field, demonstrations, talks, and posters from NIH scientists.

NanoWeek 2009's first day will include seminars explaining the basic concepts of nanotechnology, followed by summaries of current research being conducted and medical applications of nanotechnology. Speakers include:

• Dr. Michael Gottesman, deputy director of Intramural Research at the National Institutes of Health
• Dr. Richard Fisher, associate director for Science Policy and Legislation at the National Eye Institute
• Dr. Catherine Lewis, director, Division of Cell Biology and Biophysics at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
• Dr. Piotr Grodzinski, director of the Nanotechnology in Cancer Program at the National Cancer Institute,
• Dr. Karen Peterson, senior advisor to the Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering will also provide remarks.

On Wednesday, NIH scientists will discuss ongoing nanotechnology research being performed at the NIH, along with more than 30 posters presenting work from NIH's labs. There will be afternoon tours of nanotechnology labs at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

In coordination with IEEE, a leading professional association for the advancement of technology, NIH will conduct a workshop on Nanomedicine on Thursday and Friday. This will provide an opportunity for engineers and physical scientists to exhibit their cutting-edge technology, as well as to learn about possible biological applications for these technologies. Regulatory and intellectual property aspects of nanoresearch will also be addressed, in combination with presentations from some of the major industry efforts in the field.

Events on Tuesday and Wednesday are open to the public and free of charge. Registration for the lab tours will open on April 1. The nanomedicine workshop on Thursday and Friday requires registration, which is located at https://roan2.wustl.edu/. The full week's agenda, as well as further information on NanoWeek 2009, can be found at http://www.capconcorp.com/nanoweek2009/. For more information on nanotechnology at the National Institutes of Health, see the Web site http://www.nibib.nih.gov/Research/NIHNano.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is dedicated to improving human health through the integration of the physical and biological sciences. The research agenda of the NIBIB will dramatically advance the Nation's health by improving the detection, management, understanding, and ultimately, the prevention of disease.