Scientists called on European governments on Thursday to back the
promise of nanomedicine or risk trailing the United States in the race
to develop better ways to treat and diagnose diseases such as cancer.

The
European Science Foundation said substantial investment was needed to
ensure Europe did not miss out on the healthcare benefits of
nanotechnology, which involves manipulating materials and devices on an
ultra-small scale.

One nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or about 80,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

The
nano world potentially offers a new way to transport drugs in and out
of cells, as well as providing scientists with new tools to image the
body and carry out miniaturized diagnostic tests.

The U.S.
National Institutes of Health last year committed $144 million to
cancer-related nanotechnology research, but European researchers have
yet to receive such targeted funding.

Professor Ruth Duncan of
Cardiff University, who chaired a two-year investigation into
nanomedicine for the foundation, said a similar investment in Europe
would be "very useful".

"We tend to be rather slow," she told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"We
need to get together and see how we can help to accelerate the
development of these sorts of technologies, so that we benefit
first-hand and we don’t end up importing them back into the European
Union from the United States and Japan."

Cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders should be first priority areas, Duncan and her colleagues concluded.

By Ben Hirschler

More here.