Patti Glaza, VP/Publisher – Small Times

Feb. 1, 2007 — Ok, Small Times is a big offender. This is the first year we attended the NanoBusiness Alliances’ public policy tour in Washington, DC. It always seemed like something we should do, but, like many of you out there, other priorities came up.

If you didn’t attend, you missed out. Are you concerned about EH&S? Research incentives? Early-stage funding? Sarbanes-Oxley? Overall competitiveness of the US in technology? The nano policy tour, which runs about the same time every year, is your time to dialog with the congressional members and staffers that make the laws you like to sit around the table and grip about.

While I’m not an expert on public policy (though ironically my undergrad is in political science) it was fascinating to watch the dialog between the executives, lawyers, lobbyists and the professional politicians. Instead of pitching to venture capitalists, we were conducting elevator pitches to lawmakers. Some of the meetings I attended were better than others – the messaging wasn’t always as focused as it could be. However, the intent and interest in working collaboratively was clear.

What was the agenda of the policy tour? Three key messages this year were as follows:
– Co-sponsor and/or support the Research Competitiveness Act of 2007 (S. 41), which creates a tax incentive for investors in innovative small businesses and makes the R&D tax credit permanent.

– Re-authorize the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act and continue growth in its funding.

– The nanotech sector recognizes the need and is actively participating in the EH&S and is recommending that funds are made available to prioritize risk research, fund agencies to execute on the risk priorities, support of the voluntary programs being established by the EPA and NIOSH, and clarify how existing regulatory frameworks apply to nanomaterials.

Although I wish I had been able to attend all three days of the tour (my mistake), these are a few interesting tidbits I picked up along the way:

– Staffers are like the rest of us – too busy. Make their lives easier by summarizing the issues, what you would like the congressperson to do, and provide clear examples of how nanotechnology can impact their representative’s district. This last bit is important. Not surprisingly, “manufacturing” was a key theme in many of the meetings.

– Companies that are not nanomaterials focused, are quick to distance themselves from the EH&S issues.

– SOX is an incredible burden to small companies. One of the public nano companies speaking to the Small Business Senate Commerce Committee noted that they were paying $30,000 per employee to be SOX compliant. An interesting point was made that it wasn’t necessarily SOX itself that was the problem, but the interpretation of SOX by the accountants. Yes, folks, this is big business to accountants. Partner rates of $900-$1000 for SOX guidance were being quoted. In Michigan, we prosecuted gas stations for taking advantage of 911 by inflating their fuel prices during the crisis. Has anyone called the large accounting firms in for a Senate hearing on price gouging for SOX services?

– There seems to be general agreement that the federal labs are doing great basic research, but they have a long way to go before understanding how to commercialize the technology they are working so hard to develop.

Obviously there is much more, but my hope is that you will take advantage of this policy tour next year to show the Hill that the nanotechnology sector can stand together and push for an agenda that helps all of us. It is easy to sit back and hope the right thing will be done, it is much better to stand up and make sure our views are known. Maybe there is a lesson in the old saying – “it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease”.

To learn more about the policy agenda and how you can assist, please contact Sean Murdock, Executive Director, NanoBusiness Alliance at [email protected].

Small Times also welcomes your comments on this subject [email protected].

Feb. 1, 2007 — Imago Scientific Instruments, a Madison, WI microscopy company, announced the shipment and installation of four of its LEAP® microscope systems, including the initial installations of Imago’s new 3000X Si system. The company reports that its LEAP microscopy provides high-sensitivity, quantitative 3D compositional imaging and analysis with atomic resolution, offering insights into how a material’s atomic structure affects its mechanical and electrical properties.

Imago installed the four systems into research facilities at University of Leoben (Austria), Iowa State University (USA), and Oxford University (UK, two systems). Each system was installed and became fully operational in less than two weeks.

In addition to metals research, the four newly installed systems will analyze a broad array of materials including semiconductors, electro-optic materials, and organic molecules.

Feb. 1, 2007 — HelioVolt Corporation and Exeltech announced a joint development agreement to commercialize turnkey systems for cost-effective, reliable solar energy generation. The collaboration will draw on HelioVolt’s proprietary FASST™ technology for rapid CIGS thin-film production and Exeltech’s core competencies in high performance AC power system design and manufacture. Development and manufacture of the planned solar energy systems will take place at company headquarters in both Austin and Fort Worth.

The companies intend to develop streamlined systems for both conventional solar module and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products. Enabled by advances in material efficiencies, product design and system integration, the resulting grid interactive products are expected to offer benefits in the form of high volume manufacturing, simple installation and easier monitoring and maintenance throughout the system’s lifetime.

“The flexibility of the HelioVolt design lends it self perfectly to integration with Exeltech’s newest generation of grid interactive products,” said Kevin Parsons, vice president and director of marketing for Exeltech. “We feel the merging of these two very cost effective designs can make a photovoltaic product deployable on scale that will have a significant impact on the growing power needs of both residential and commercial customers and will reach a price parity with today’s conventional generating methods.”

“As HelioVolt’s product development moves forward, this collaboration is perfectly in line with our strategy to partner with best of breed organizations that can speed thin film enabled product to market,” said Dr. B.J. Stanbery, CEO and founder of HelioVolt. “Exeltech has earned an outstanding reputation as producer of one of the power industry’s highest quality, most reliable inverters. We look forward to matching that systems-level expertise with HelioVolt’s own proficiencies in rapid CIGS manufacture to deliver a simple, cost effective solar energy product.”

Feb. 1, 2007 — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Burr (R-NC) and U.S. Reps. Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Ralph Hall (R-TX) today kicked off a new year for the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus by announcing a lecture series for congressional staffers designed to educate them about the enormous potential that nanotechnology holds and the challenges that must be overcome to fully realize that promise.

Nanotechnology allows the creation of new products and processes through the manipulation of individual atoms. Nanotechnology is expected to have a significant impact on the future of many fields, including information technology, homeland security, medicine, and energy production and distribution. Indeed, estimates of the potential annual global market for products that apply nanotechnology exceed $2 trillion by 2014, and projections indicate that two million workers are likely to be needed to support nanotechnology industries worldwide.

“Too many folks still don’t know what nanotechnology is,” Wyden said. “These Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus briefings will help ensure that Members of Congress and Hill staff recognize the huge possibilities that nanotechnology presents in so many fields and that nanotechnology can help drive the U.S. economy into the 21st century.”

“Nanotechnology in an important part of the emerging economy,” Burr said. “I believe it is important for communities to support research and development of nanotech advancements and government should be a friend to economic growth and more jobs, not an obstacle. Nanotech will have a very real practical effect on our health care system, the way we do business and how we live.”

“In just twenty years, nanotechnology has grown into a multibillion dollar industry successfully addressing technological challenges in materials, medicine and electronics. It is a great success story, and it presents many opportunities. To stay competitive in nanotech, the U.S. needs to invest in an infrastructure that facilitates innovation and commercialization,” said Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman, House Committee on Science and Technology. “We’ve also got to improve math and science education so that our young people are prepared to become the next generation of nanotechnologists. Nanotech growth isn’t without its challenges, but if we manage those challenges wisely, the resulting products could be groundbreaking.”

“These tiny particles are going to revolutionize so many industries, yet many policymakers don’t know enough about the potential benefits and implications of nanotechnology,” Hall said. “I’m pleased to be a part of this Caucus and look forward to hearing from the diverse group of speakers in the upcoming lecture series.”

The purpose of the Nanotechnology Caucus is to promote nanotechnology, educate policy makers about this emerging area, and facilitate communications between industrial and academic researchers and the Hill.

To that end, the Caucus’ co-chairs will be hosting a series of brown bag lunches over the next year designed Speakers drawn from government, industry and academia will help provide congressional staff with a solid understanding of this exciting and dynamic field.
Topics will include:
– Nanotechnology: Introduction and Overview.
– Nanotechnology and Medicine.
– Nanotechnology and Energy.
– Nanotechnology, Electronics and Photonics
– Nanotechnology and Security.
– Nanotechnology and the Environment.
– Nanotechnology and Environment, Health, and Safety Issues
– Nanotechnology and Commercialization.
– Nanotechnology and International Competition.

Jan. 30, 2007 — A team of Northeastern University researchers received a $1.2 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to develop an innovative multifunctional nanochip with the long-term goal of it being used as a powerful nanobiosensor and drug delivery system, able to identify antigens in body fluid or tissue and release specific drugs and dosages in real-time, based on what is detected. The two year grant will support development of the nanochip’s major design features and feasibility testing of the new design for biomarker monitoring and controlled drug release, both in vitro (in a laboratory setting) and in vivo (within a living organism) to determine detection limits, bio-fouling protection and effectiveness.

The researchers spearheading this unique interdisciplinary project come from three different schools within the University and bring very different areas of expertise to the project. Project leader Ahmed Busnaina, W.L. Smith professor of Engineering and Director of the NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing is joined by Barry Karger, James L. Waters Chair in Analytical Chemistry and Director of The Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, and Vladimir Torchilin, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine.

“Although this is a new grant, what you have here is the intersection of several very mature ideas,” said Torchilin. “Each of the researchers involved has been working for many years to develop his piece of the solution – from the chips themselves, to the process of using them for bioanalytical purposes, to the options for controlled drug delivery. The Keck Foundation is known for funding some of the most innovative research being done today, and this project is no exception.”

“The interdisciplinary nature of our approach is unprecedented,” said Karger. “We have expertise in nanotechnology, biochemistry and pharmaceuticals converging to create something incredibly unique that could someday have a significant impact on the way we detect and treat a variety of serious illnesses.”

“This research was inspired by recent advances in the selective directed assembly of nanoparticles at the NSF High-rate Nanomanufacturing Center,” said Busnaina. “The team’s interdisciplinary expertise in nanotechnology, biochemistry and pharmaceuticals made the development of a nanobio chip based on this advance possible. We believe that at the end of two years, the basic foundation will have been laid for rapid expansion into practical devices with broad and significant applications.”

Jan. 30, 2007 — BioForce Nanosciences, Inc., a Ames, IA wholly owned subsidiary of BioForce Nanosciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC BB: BFNH.OB), announced that it exceeded its 2006 goal for shipping up to 20 of its cutting-edge Nano eNabler™ molecular printers to research institutions across the globe. BioForce exceeded its goal by two units by year end. These pilot placements of the company’s patented Nano eNabler device at centers of research excellence, allow researchers at those centers to act as “early adopters” of BioForce’s practical tools and technologies.

“With the shipment of these 22 Nano eNabler molecular printers,” says BioForce Product Manager Michael Lynch, “BioForce is now essentially partnering with an impressive group of innovators working in the micro and nanotechnology fields. Several groups have already expressed a desire to seek funds to convert their placement into a purchase.”

Kerry Frey, BioForce’s chief operating officer, says, “BioForce Nanosciences is positioned between two very exciting markets—nanotechnology and the life sciences. We strongly believe our Nano eNabler system will change how research is conducted in laboratories across the world.” He explains that the ease of use and practicality provided by the Nano eNabler system, establish a path from laboratory to industry.

Institutions where recent placements have taken place:
-University of California, Cal-it2, Irvine, CA
-Cornell University, NanoBioTechnology Center, Ithaca, NY
-ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
-Georgia Institute of Technology, Microelectronics Research Center, Atlanta, GA
-Stanford University, James H. Clark Center, Stanford, CA

Jan. 30, 2007 — Harvard University’s George Whitesides and team have developed a prototype for a new class of inexpensive, highly practical rapid tests that can be used to carry out several biological tests simultaneously on a single drop. As they describe in the journal Angewandte Chemie, their tests are based on tiny pieces of paper onto which defined, millimeter-sized channels are printed.

To produce the patterned tests, highly absorbent paper is treated with a photosensitive coating and covered with a mask that is the negative of the desired pattern. When the paper is irradiated with UV light through the mask, the molecules of the photosensitive coating change so that subsequent heating converts them to a continuous polymer layer. The untreated coating under the mask can be washed away, while the polymer layer on the irradiated spots is bound fast to the paper. This system allows the researchers to produce a tiny system of channels separated from each other by “channel walls” made of the water-repellent polymer.

As a prototype, Whitesides and his team selected a clover-leaf-shaped channel system: A main channel branches into three tiny chambers. Different color reagents are introduced into each of these chambers and are allowed to dry. The first chamber contains a reagent for a glucose test and the second a protein test; the third is a control. When a drop of liquid is introduced, the capillary action of the paper quickly sucks it up and transports it into all three chambers. A series of tests with artificial urine demonstrated that the intensity of the (simultaneously occurring) color reactions corresponds to the glucose and protein concentrations. The sensitivity of detection is comparable to conventional glucose and protein test strips.

Crucial to implementation in the field, the tests are reportedly not affected by contamination by dust, dirt, or plant materials, as these particles are not absorbed by the paper.

The title of the paper published is “Patterned Paper as a Platform for Inexpensive, Low-Volume, Portable Bioassays” and can be found in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2007, 46, No.8.