“Nanotechnology is already starting to affect our lives, and it’s anticipated that over the next 20 years it’s going to have major impact on everything around us,” says Wendy Crone, an engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nanoscience, she explains, looks at objects and devices that are smaller than a red blood cell. At that size, nanomaterials have different chemical and physical properties, and quantum mechanics becomes extremely important. Today the tiny nanoparticle is used in age-defying makeup, stain-resistant coatings and self-cleaning windows, and future advances are currently being made to develop enamel-protecting toothpaste, self-cleaning shoes and antibiotics/anti-inflammatories. Nano particles can strengthen the walls of just about any structure, researchers say, which will allow them to create tougher, more durable products.
In Europe, Dutch food scientist Frans Kampers is making a presentation titled: What Nanotechnology Can Do for the Average Donut. He explains that a nanoparticle can re-engineer ingredients to bring healthy nutrients to the body more efficiently, while ensuring that less-desirable components pass on. European scientists are creating structures within foods that will deliver specific nutrients to specific locations in the body for the most beneficial effects. “We are basically creating nano-structures in food that are designed to fall apart in your body because of digestion so in the end there will not be nanoparticles,” Kampers explains. Yet, he admits, there are some people who are fearful of the nanotechnology applications. For instance, if persistent metal or metal oxide particles are used in food packaging, there is some worry that they may be able to migrate through the bloodstream, into the cells and into the nucleuses. “These are the more controversial applications of nanotechnology,” Kampers adds. “More research is necessary to understand the kinetics and dynamics of these particles before large-scale applications in food are developed. At the moment, these types of nanoparticles are rarely used in food products.”
In other nanotechnology news, Agricultural Research Service scientists in Athens, Georgia have developed a microscopic biological sensor (using nano science) that can detect salmonella bacteria and other foodborne pathogens like E coli and mad cow disease. Even though these nano particles are 10-100 times thinner than a strand of hair, they are able to take fluorescent organic dye particles directly to salmonella antibodies, where they stick to the bacteria and light up like a beacon. Bio-sensors are commonly used in nature — in sex pheromones to attract animals to other animals to mate or to alert fish to nearly imperceptible water vibrations.
University of Michigan scientists are also using nanotechnology to treat serious burns and infections by using “nanoemulsion cream.” Scientists say this cream works one-thousand-fold better than nothing or placebos at penetrating the skin, killing off harmful bacteria and reducing inflammatory agents like cytokines. Uses for nanoemulsions that are in their final clinical trial phases include: cold sores, toenail fungus, cystic fibrosis infections and influenza vaccines. Before nanomaterials can be used in burn medicine, there will need to be more studies over the course of the healing process.
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