Nanite News
Recent News |  Archives |  Tags |  About |  Newsletter |  Links | 


More Articles
A lab rat - created in the labA lab rat - created in the lab



Marked for Life: Tattoo Matching Software to Identify SuspectsMarked for Life: Tattoo Matching Software to Identify Suspects


Venus is alive - geologically speakingVenus is alive - geologically speaking

Researchers shed light on ancient Assyrian tabletsResearchers shed light on ancient Assyrian tablets

Hawaiian submarine canyons are hotspots of biodiversity and biomass for seafloor animal communitiesHawaiian submarine canyons are hotspots of biodiversity and biomass for seafloor animal communities

Genetic key discovered to dramatically increase yields and improve taste of hybrid tomato plantsGenetic key discovered to dramatically increase yields and improve taste of hybrid tomato plants


Ancient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quicklyAncient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quickly

Scientists locate apparent hydrothermal vents off AntarcticaScientists locate apparent hydrothermal vents off Antarctica


Juggling enhances connections in the brainJuggling enhances connections in the brain

Fill 'er up - with algaeFill 'er up - with algae

Scientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaosScientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaos

Bionanotechnology has new face, world-class future at Florida State (4/21/2010)

Tags:
medicine, sensors
Assistant Professor Steven Lenhert of the Florida State University is a faculty member in biological science and a member of the university's interdisciplinary 'Integrative NanoScience Institute' (INSI). - Michele Edmunds, FSU Photo Lab
Assistant Professor Steven Lenhert of the Florida State University is a faculty member in biological science and a member of the university's interdisciplinary 'Integrative NanoScience Institute' (INSI). - Michele Edmunds, FSU Photo Lab

Imagine the marriage of hard metals or semiconductors to soft organic or biological products. Picture the strange, wonderful offspring -- hybrid materials never conceived by Mother Nature.

The applications in medicine and manufacturing are staggering, says biologist Steven Lenhert, the newest faculty face of nanoscience at The Florida State University.

How about a mobile phone fitted with a "lab on a chip" that can diagnose illness? That and much more are real possibilities, according to Lenhert.

"Nanotechnology is already saving lives, and will be crucial to the sustainability of life as we know it on Earth," he said.

Lenhert is the lead author of a groundbreaking paper published in the April 2010 edition of Nature Nanotechnology -- the discipline's premier journal.

At age 32, he is internationally recognized for his innovative work in the evolving field of bionanotechnology -- the union of biology and nanotechnology -- and a related process, Dip-Pen Nanolithography (DPN), which uses a sharp, pen-like device and "ink" to "write" nanoscale patterns on solid surfaces. Both are capable of producing materials with enormous potential not only for diagnostic applications in health care but also for virtually any field that uses materials, from tissue engineering to drug discovery to computer chip fabrication.

In other words, it is big-deal technology on a nanoscale. Nanotechnology encompasses objects that measure just 100 nanometers or less in at least one of their dimensions. One nanometer equals a billionth of a meter.

"Think of one nanometer as the length that a hair grows in one second," Lenhert said.

Florida State hired Lenhert to further enhance the interdisciplinary cluster of faculty who form the Integrative NanoScience Institute (INSI) -- a key part of the university's ambitious Pathways of Excellence initiative. His cutting-edge work in nanobiology is expected to serve as an ideal complement to the materials science and engineering research already underway there.

Together, they mean to make the institute a world-class bionanotechnology center.

As an INSI member, Lenhert will collaborate on the Institute's cutting-edge research with distinguished faculty from cell and molecular biology, chemistry and biochemistry, materials science, chemical and biomedical engineering, and physics.

The paper he and coworkers published ("Lipid multilayer gratings") in Nature Nanotechnology describes a DPN-based technique he devised at his former institutions, Germany's University of Muenster and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The technique has promising biological applications. It enables the color-coded detection of various molecules through diffraction of light and thin, nanoscale layers of lipids.

"We ended up with a fundamentally new class of material -- in effect, a biometamaterial, which is a biomaterial that doesn't exist in nature," Lenhert said.

"It acts as a biosensor, which responds to the presence of a biological agent by combining a sensitive biological element with a physical device," he said. "Our biosensor actually makes the physical device out of the biological element itself.

"The closest real-world application for this material is in medical diagnostics," Lenhert said. "The idea would be to have a portable, affordable and disposable chip that could allow your mobile phone to diagnose medical conditions that currently require a visit to a doctor and samples being sent to a laboratory. This concept is known as 'lab on a chip,' and it could analyze, say, blood or urine. A home pregnancy test is a similar example that already works, but other kinds of tests still need actual, advanced laboratories."

Lenhert is a chess master who plays competitively, when he's not in his laboratory. Born in Salt Lake City, he received his doctoral degree in 2004 from the University of Muenster. Until recently, he was leading a nanoscience research group in Germany. Then, at a conference in 2009, he came across a Florida State flyer about the Integrated NanoScience Institute.

"It contained what I considered to be the perfect description of my scientific motivation," Lenhert said. "Now, here I am. What's most exciting and impressive to me is the way all the INSI members, from various FSU departments, suddenly feel right at home together because of the word 'nanoscience.'

"As a graduate student I was lucky to be able to work as a bridge between different departments, including biology, medicine, chemistry and physics," he said. "I realized that a lot of the solutions to a particular problem might already exist just across a street. That's why I like the INSI cluster at Florida State, because it is based on this principle."

"Steve Lenhert is not a traditional biologist - he is doing tomorrow's biology today," said FSU Professor Bryant Chase, chairman of the biological science department.

"His training in nanotechnology as well as biology allows him to answer biological questions through novel experiments that could not have been performed before," Chase said. "He is designing new tools with unprecedented applications in science and medicine. He also participates in an initiative called 'NanoProfessor,' which teaches faculty how to make nanoscience more accessible and engaging for undergraduate students. Steve is a 'wunderkind.'"

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the Florida State University

Post Comments:

Search

New Articles
Magnetic fields drive drug-loaded nanoparticles to reduce blood vessel blockages in an animal studyMagnetic fields drive drug-loaded nanoparticles to reduce blood vessel blockages in an animal study

Carbon nanotubes boost cancer-fighting cells

Bionanotechnology has new face, world-class future at Florida StateBionanotechnology has new face, world-class future at Florida State

Graphene: What projections and humps can be good forGraphene: What projections and humps can be good for

New method for recovering pricey nanoparticlesNew method for recovering pricey nanoparticles

New nano-tool synthesized

Ultrasensitive imaging method uses gold-silver 'nanocages'Ultrasensitive imaging method uses gold-silver 'nanocages'

Study shows that size affects structure of hollow nanoparticlesStudy shows that size affects structure of hollow nanoparticles

Wireless nano sensors could save bridges, buildings

Scientists develop environmentally friendly way to produce propylene oxide using silver nanoclustersScientists develop environmentally friendly way to produce propylene oxide using silver nanoclusters

With support, graphene still a superior thermal conductorWith support, graphene still a superior thermal conductor

Graphene films clear major fabrication hurdleGraphene films clear major fabrication hurdle

'Nanovaccine' reverses autoimmunity without general immunosuppression

Evidence that nanoparticles in sunscreens could be toxic if accidentally eatenEvidence that nanoparticles in sunscreens could be toxic if accidentally eaten

Cold atoms and nanotubes come together in an atomic 'black hole'Cold atoms and nanotubes come together in an atomic 'black hole'



Archives
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007


Science Friends
Agricultural Science
Astronomy News
Biology News

Cognitive Research
Chemistry News
Tissue Engineering
Cancer Research

Forensics Report
Fossil News
Genetic Archaeology

Geology News
Physics News


  Archives |  Advertise With Us |  Contact Us |  Links
Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. All contents © 2000 - 2011 Web Doodle, LLC. All rights reserved.