North Carolina Grants Finance to Develop Nanobiotechnology

The Center of Innovation in Nanobiotechnology, a state-financed attempt to capture the commercial capacity of nanotechnology, has been awarded a $2.5 million grant by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.  COIN, as it is named, is situated at the Piedmont Triad Partnership office in Greensboro and will utilise the funds over a four-year period to become an autonomous entity that aids develop the commercial potential of nanobiotechnology research from universities across the state.

Amidst technologies cited as being capable are the use of nanoparticles to treat disease and sunlight-powered, nano-scale coatings that can be used to terminate microbes on fabrics.

Brooks Adams was hired in January to be executive director of COIN, which is one of four Centers of Innovation created by the Biotech Center. The others emphasize on marine biotechnology, drug discovery, and advanced medical technologies.

Nanobiotechnology is the branch of nanotechnology with biological and biochemical applications or uses. Nanobiotechnology often studies existing elements of nature in order to fabricate new devices.

The term bionanotechnology is often used interchangeably with nanobiotechnology, though a distinction is sometimes drawn between the two. If the two are distinguished, nanobiotechnology usually refers to the use of nanotechnology to further the goals of biotechnology, while bionanotechnology might refer to any overlap between biology and nanotechnology, including the use of biomolecules as part of or as an inspiration for nanotechnological devices.

Nanobiotechnology is often used to describe the overlapping multidisciplinary activities associated with biosensors particularly where photonics, chemistry, biology, biophysics and engineering converge. Measurement in biology using for example, waveguide techniques such as dual polarisation interferometry are another example.

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