The College of Nanoscale
Science and Engineering ("CNSE") of the University at Albany announced
today that it has selected an accomplished physician to head a next-generation
NanoHealth initiative that will focus on education, research, and deployment
of nanotechnology enabled improvements in occupational, public, and environmental
health and safety.
As CNSE Assistant Vice President for NanoHealth Initiatives and Assistant Professor
of Nanobioscience, Dr. Sara Brenner will spearhead leading-edge research aimed
at developing novel nanotechnology applications in nanomedicine, including nanotoxicology
and environmental and public health. She will also lead health and safety research
initiatives related to nanoparticle and nanomaterial exposures in the workplace,
consumer marketplace, and the environment.
The first physician to join the faculty of the UAlbany NanoCollege, Dr. Brenner
is providing medical expertise for CNSE's nanomedicine initiatives, including
projects in cancer research and regenerative medicine, such as tissue engineering
and artificial organs; designing a first-of-its-kind nanotoxicology program;
and exploring the creation of a groundbreaking clinical scientist training program
in nanomedicine.
Her research will also seek to establish a systematic understanding of the
health and safety implications and effects associated with the unique characteristics
of nanoparticles, with a focus on assessing and mitigating risk, developing
reduction strategies for occupational exposures, improving the monitoring of
nanoparticles that may impact public and environmental health, and recommending
industrial practice standards for product safety.
George Philip, President of the University at Albany, said, "Already recognized
as the world leader in pioneering nanotechnology education and game-changing
nanoscale science and engineering research, the College of Nanoscale Science
and Engineering is once again breaking important new ground with the addition
of Dr. Brenner to CNSE's world-class faculty. Her demonstrated expertise, in
combination with CNSE's unparalleled excellence, will enable exciting new advances
in 21st century health care and environmental safety, while serving to bolster
the University's global recognition as one of the world's preeminent research
universities."
Alain E. Kaloyeros, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
of CNSE, said, "I am delighted to welcome Dr. Brenner to the UAlbany NanoCollege,
where she will lead the creation of a first-of-its-kind NanoHealth initiative
that is as pioneering as it is important. Known for her keen intellect, contagious
energy, comprehensive knowledge, and responsible ethics, Sara brings a distinctive
perspective to the exciting field of nanobioscience that is seamlessly suited
to the CNSE pioneering interdisciplinary paradigm, particularly for advancing
preventive and therapeutic innovations in health care."
Professor Brenner said, "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join
the world-class faculty at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering,
and particularly to have the chance to design and implement a groundbreaking
and vital NanoHealth program. In applying nanotechnology to the critical areas
of disease prevention, early detection, monitoring and treatment, we plan to
effectively translate nanoscale innovations into practical solutions that will
drastically improve 21st century health care and public safety. I look forward
to the establishment of an integrated health sciences partnership with top flight
medical institutions and leading health and safety public agencies in the Capital
Region and across New York State."
Professor Brenner received her B.S. in genetics from Iowa State University,
her M.D. from the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine, and her M.P.H.
from the University at Albany's School of Public Health. Among numerous awards
and honors, she has received the American College of Preventive Medicine's Don
Gemson Resident Award; the A. Zamin Rizavi, M.D. Internal Medicine Award; the
University of Iowa Hancher-Finkbine Medallion; the American Medical Association's
Foundation Leadership Award; and the American College of Preventive Medicine's
Future Leaders in Preventive Medicine Award.
The American Society for Nanomedicine (ASNM) and the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) define nanomedicine as the application of nanoscale scientific
concepts and engineering principles to medical diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment
"at the level of single molecules or molecular assemblies that provide
structure, control, signaling, homeostasis and motility in cells." As such,
nanomedicine, "an offshoot of nanotechnology," involves "highly
specific medical interventions at the molecular scale for curing disease or
repairing damaged tissues, such as bone, muscle, or nerve."
Nanomedicine holds the promise for truly innovative, leading edge, preventive
treatments and effective cures. Potential applications, as cited by the NIH,
include nanoscale tools that enable doctors to "search out and destroy
the very first cancer cells that would otherwise have caused a tumor to develop
in the body;" molecularly precise procedures that can remove a broken part
of a cell and replace it with a miniature biological machine; and pumps the
size of molecules that could be implanted to deliver life-saving medicines precisely
when and where they are needed. The NIH also predicts that nanomedicine will
enable the development of "new tools that will work at the nanoscale and
allow scientists to build synthetic biological devices, such as tiny sensors
to scan for the presence of infectious agents or metabolic imbalances that could
spell trouble for the body, and miniature devices to destroy the infectious
agents or fix damaged cellular parts."