Nov 1 2007
UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and the University of Tokyo's Center for NanoBio Integration (CNBI) will jointly sponsor an international symposium on nanobiotechnology at UCLA Nov. 1–2.
The CNSI-CNBI Symposium on NanoBiotechnology, which will be held in the auditorium of UCLA's new CNSI building, an 188,000-square-foot structure dedicated to nano-scale research, will feature keynote speakers from the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego, the National Cancer Institute's Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Science Foundation.
The symposium will begin with remarks from UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and University of Tokyo President Hiroshi Komiyama, followed by special presentations on biotechnology and biomedical topics by renowned researchers from the Japanese National Institute for Materials Science, the CNBI, the CNSI and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Nanobiotechnology has emerged in recent years as an important new field of research - especially the area of nanomedicine. Nano-scale cancer research, for example, has produced new means of detection, diagnosis and drug delivery. Speakers from disciplines including biology, medicine, chemistry, physics and bioengineering will highlight such advances, which are transforming medical research today and are expected to have a dramatic impact on medical practices in the future.
A special panel discussion titled "Bridging the Gap: Bringing NanoBiology to the Healthcare Industry" will illuminate the importance of developing novel nanomaterials and nano-scale methods for biological research and medical application and will highlight the important research initiatives featured throughout the symposium.
The symposium, organized by CNSI member Fuyu Tamanoi, UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and director of the signal transduction and therapeutics program area at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, will also feature in-depth scientific panels and discussion groups focusing on nanomaterials, nanodetection and cell interatcion; nanodevices and microscopic methods; and nanomedicine and nanotherapy.
The symposium's focus - nanobiotechnology - reflects important strengths of both UCLA and the University of Tokyo. Located in technology research hubs, both universities have strong medical, engineering and physical science schools and through their interdisciplinary nano-research centers play significant roles in the international science community. This is the first of what will be an ongoing series of international conferences at CNSI.
The symposium has received additional sponsorship from Japan's National Institute of Materials Science; the University of California Discovery Program; Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA; UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; the UCLA Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics; and Wako Pure Chemical Industries Ltd.
For additional information - including the complete symposium agenda, a list of speakers and abstracts — visit www.cnsi.ucla.edu/conferences/nanobio. The event is free, but registration is encouraged, as space is limited.