1200万美元资金用于纳米技术对健康和环境的影响研究

生物谷

据eurekalert网站2006年9月11日报道，在今后的5年内，美国国家科学基金会将继续向莱斯大学生物和环境纳米技术中心提供资金援助，援助金额为1200万美元。美国国家科学基金会此次陆续提供资金的目的是为了确保莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心研究计划能持续到2011年。

　　莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心是世界上首个致力于研究纳米材料与活生物体及生态环境之间相互影响的学术研究中心。该中心于2001年成立，并获得一个5年计划的批准，5年的研究成果使它完全符合条件取得续约。

　　莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心主任和化学教授维基.库尔雯说，“在首个5个计划中，莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心在纳米医学、纳米生物技术、纳米毒物学和用于环境补救的纳米方法方面取得开创性突破。莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心还在向公众、立法机构和企业宣讲纳米技术所引发的潜在无意识环境问题方面扮演着重要的角色。拥有新的1200万美元的援助后，我们渴望在原来的基础上取得更大进步”。库尔雯强调说莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心所取得的成功已经远远超越了实验室的范畴。她说，“我们制定的K－12教师和学生教育计划已经向数千名年青人教授了令人振奋的纳米科学前沿科技。除此以外，我们还鼓励公司与像莱斯技术与企业家联盟和国际纳米技术理事会（ICON）之类的各种组织一起展开各种各样的合作，以便推动纳米技术从实验室向市场转化”。2000年美国国家科学基金会创立了国家纳米技术计划，莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心是首批获得美国国家科学基金会资金援助的6个纳米科学和工程中心之一。目前美国国家科学基金会共资助了16个纳米科学和工程中心。

　　米黑尔.C.洛库是美国科学基金会的资深纳米技术顾问。他负责评估莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心研究成果对纳米技术领域的影响。洛库说，“2000年，纳米技术研究一直关注一个新焦点，即‘我们什么时候才能将纳米技术应用到各个领域中去？’这时候，莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心创立。该中心是首个获得美国科学基金会国家纳米技术计划资金援助的关注纳米技术对健康和环境影响的研究中心。该中心的建立具有象征性意义。我们在国家纳米技术计划提出的第一年内就实现了从建立首个纳米结构挑战跨入纳米技术社会性研究。经过5年的研究后，该中心不仅成为一个国家和国际级的纳米技术信息资源中心，而且还在纳米领域确立自己的地位。成为了科学界、工程界和社会关注的焦点”。

　　莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心研究的重点是生物和材料科学之间的相互影响，即“湿－干”作用。就像每一个活细胞存在于水环境中的生命机理一样。从另外一方面来讲，纳米材料经常不是难于有效发挥作用就是根本无法有效发挥作用。莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心研究着眼于了解纳米材料是如何在诸如活有机体和生态系统的水环境中发挥作用的。

　　国际纳米技术理事会是创立莱斯大学生物与环境纳米科技中心的多名股东之一。国际纳米技术理事会正寻求对纳米技术对环境和健康存在的潜在风险展开研究。国际纳米技术理事会去年向公众免费开外一个有关纳米材料环境、健康和安全的数据库。

英文原文：

NSF gives $12M to Rice to study nanotech's impact on health, environment

The National Science Foundation has extended funding for Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology with a five-year renewal worth $12 million. The renewal ensures CBEN programs will continue through 2011.

CBEN was the first academic research center in the world dedicated to studying the interaction between nanomaterials and living organisms and ecosystems. It was founded with a five-year grant in 2001 and was eligible for a one-time five-year extension.

"In its first five years, CBEN helped produce groundbreaking research in nanomedicine, nanobiotechnology, nanotoxicology and nanoscale methods for environmental remediation," said CBEN Director Vicki Colvin, professor of chemistry. "CBEN has played an active role in informing the public, lawmakers and industry about potential unintended environmental consequences of nanotechnology. With this new funding, we are looking forward to making even more significant strides."

Colvin stressed that CBEN's success has extended well beyond the laboratory.

"Our educational programs for K-12 science teachers and their students have exposed thousands of young people to the exciting frontiers of nanoscale science," she said. "In addition, we have helped encourage companies to move nanotechnology from the laboratory to the marketplace through a varied set of collaborations with diverse groups like the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON)." CBEN was among the first six Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (NSECs) funded by NSF following the creation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 2000. NSF currently funds 16 NSECs.

Mihail C. Roco, NSF's senior adviser for nanotechnology, attested to CBEN's impact on the field of nanotechnology. "In 2000, nanotechnology research was focused on uncovering new phenomena, and the question was, 'When would we have applications in various fields?'" Roco said. "Then, CBEN was created as the first center on health and environmental implications funded by NSF under NNI. The creation of the center has symbolic meaning. From the challenge of building the first nanostructures, we have moved into research on societal hopes and concerns, and this in the first year of the national initiative.

"Now, after five years, the center not only has become a reference resource at the national and international levels, but it also defines the field itself, and how science, engineering and society converge."

CBEN's research focus is on the so-called "wet-dry" interface between biology and materials science. For example, the machinery of life inside every living cell exists in a water-based environment. Nanomaterials, on the other hand, are often either insoluble or unable to function efficiently in solution. CBEN's research aims to understand how nanomaterials function in water-based environments such as living organisms and ecosystems.

The International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON), a multi-stakeholder initiative that grew out of CBEN-led activities, is addressing the potential environmental and health risks of nanotechnology. ICON last year unveiled a nanomaterial-specific Environmental, Health and Safety Database as a free public service.