Sep 2 2010
The Nanodermatology Society (NDS), founded in 2010, is a nonprofit organization charged with the mission to promote and enable a greater understanding of the scientific and medical aspects of nanotechnology in health and disease.
The Society is composed of physicians, dermatologists, physicists, chemists, policy makers, business leaders, regulators, industry leaders, nanotechnology scientists, and students involved in nanotechnology specifically related to dermatology from medical practice, to scientific research, to government agencies, and to industry.
Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing discipline which capitalizes on the study and use of materials 150 nanometers (one billionth of a meter) in size and smaller. Materials in this size range exhibit a broad range of unique properties, which enable manufacturers to create particles and devices with physical and optical characteristics superior to their bulk parent compounds. Currently, the state of nanotechnology development is entering an inflection point in its growth phase both in the number and diversity of products developed or soon to be available. These innovations are making rapid inroads in consumer society and in medicine. A vast number of patents have been issued for nanotechnology as a means of enhancing topical delivery of a broad range of cosmetics and cutaneous therapeutics .
“It is an exciting era of scientific exploration and therapeutic translation. Nanotechnology represents a novel medium through which the diagnosis and treatment of disease may be forever altered. The skin represents a phenomenal vehicle through which these materials can be investigated, both with respect to active ingredient delivery and efficacy. Advances in nanotechnology must be balanced with due consideration of potential toxicity,” comments Dr. Adnan Nasir, assistant clinical professor of dermatology, University of North Carolina, and President of the NDS.
The mission of the society is to:
1. Closely monitor developments in nanotechnology as they relate to dermatology.
2. Create opportunities to meet at congresses, scientific conferences, and formal teaching events with the purpose of educating and informing members on new developments in nanotechnology and dermatology.
3. Exchange research and ideas on nanotechnology advances and serve as the impetus for the formation of new collaborative ventures.
4. Sponsor research and education in nanotechnology through grants and awards.
5. Develop policies and positions to benefit consumers, academia, regulatory bodies, and industry.
“The goal of the NDS is to create a core group of members from a diverse and broad array of linked disciplines, all of whom share a common interest in nanotechnology as it relates to dermatology,” says Dr. Adam Friedman, Director of Dermatologic Research in the Division of Dermatology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, and Vice President of the NDS. “There is a great deal of confusion and uncertainty in both the lay and medical communities regarding the safety of nanotechnology, and it is our mission to provide both scientifically accurate and easily accessible information.”
The NDS will be charged with monitoring nanotechnology, studying new developments in the field, and evaluating their potential. The NDS will focus on potential beneficial uses of this new technology, as well as potential dangers within its purview. “Membership is open to dermatologists, residents in training, academic scientists, industry scientists, business leaders, government experts, legal experts, patent experts, and safety officials with an interest in nanotechnology,” says Dr. Steve Wang, Mohs micrographic surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The Nanodermatology Society stands to meet the demands of a multi-disciplinary organization. The NDS will help address current and future scientific, environmental, political, medical, and consumer interests. It will shape dialogue and policy in the context of scientifically validated developments in this rapidly evolving technology.
For more information, visit www.nanodermsociety.org or contact us at [email protected]