Shrink Nanotechnologies,
Inc. ("Shrink") (OTCBB: INKN), an innovative nanotechnology
company that develops products, licenses its patent-pending technologies and
acquires related assets in three core vertical markets: (i) solar energy production,
(ii) medical diagnostics and sensors and (iii) biotechnology research and development
tools, today announced that Dr. Michelle Khine, Ph.D., the scientific founder
of Shrink's nanofabrication platform, was named by MIT Technology Review
as one of the top 35 global innovators under the age of 35. The award is provided
to an elite group of accomplished young innovators who exemplify the spirit
of innovation and whose work spans medicine, computing, communications, nanotechnology,
and more. Dr. Khine will be honored at Technology Review's EmTech09 Conference
at MIT in September.
The initial iterations of Dr. Khine's innovations relied on Shrinky Dink
material, sheets of thin plastic that can be colored with paint or ink and then
shrunk in a hot oven. Essentially, she created a channel design for her initial
devices in AutoCAD, printed it on the Shrinky Dink material, and then placed
it inside a toaster oven. The heat caused the plastic to shrink and the ink
particles on its surface to cluster together and form ridges. A flexible polymer
- PDMS - was poured onto the surface of the cooled Shrinky Dink
and the ink ridges created tiny channels in the surface of the polymer as it
hardened. The PDMS was peeled back from the Shrinky Dink mold, unveiling a fully
customized and functional microfluidic device that was made without the need
for a clean room and millions of dollars in sensitive and expensive equipment.
The innovations recognized by the TR35 Award have ultimately become the core
of what is now Shrink Nanotechnologies, the exclusive licensee of the patent-pending
advances made by Dr. Khine. Shrink, with the assistance of its growing expert
network of over 20 leading research scientists, has made significant improvements
on its technologies and is focused on developing ultra-functional suites of
products for the solar, biotech research and development, and diagnostics and
sensor industries, among others.
"Discovering the amazing young men and women who make up the TR35 is
one of the highlights of the year for us," said Jason Pontin, editor in
chief and publisher of Technology Review. "We honor them for their achievements
today and look forward to their future accomplishments."
"Dr. Michelle Khine's research has contributed to the advancement
of the emerging nanotechnology industry," said Mark L. Baum, CEO of Shrink
Nanotechnologies. "Shrink is utilizing Dr. Khine's technology to
commercialize a broad range of applications and products such as disruptive
nano-crystal solar concentrator technology. Her discoveries are the foundation
of all of our product designs and will serve as the basis of a new model in
the rapid design and low-cost fabrication of diagnostic chips and other nano-size
devices across diverse industries, including solar energy, life sciences, and
drug and chemical analysis. We congratulate Michelle on receiving this prestigious
award."
Dr. Khine, a veteran entrepreneur whose first business developed into a successful
VC-backed company, is a widely published researcher, with multiple patents grants
and honors. She serves on several review committees, most notably the Center
for Scientific Review at the National Institute of Health. She is Assistant
Professor of Bioengineering and holds PhD, M.S. and B.S. degrees from the University
of California Berkeley.
Posted Ausgust 24th, 2009