Nanotechnology can add to competitive edge

NANOTECHNOLOGY HAS the potential to sharpen Ireland’s competitiveness in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, according to Prof Brian MacCraith from Dublin City University (DCU).

An international workshop in Dublin is looking to strengthen ties between universities in the US and Ireland, particularly Cornell University, the University of Ulster and DCU.

Nanotechnology is very much an enabling technology, said Prof MacCraith, director of the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute at DCU. “It is an area where we can make a strong impact on the Irish economy in terms of future competitiveness and future devices in one of the key sectors that is remaining relatively unstressed by the current depression,” said Prof McCraith.

The pharmaceutical industry and medical devices are pretty robust, he said but it was important to keep them competitive.

“The aim is to establish stronger collaborative links [between the universities] and recognise that our chances of making breakthroughs are . . . substantially enhanced when we work together, said Prof MacCraith.

DCU and the University of Ulster recently started collaborating on research into intelligent sensors for point-of-care platforms.

The all-Ireland dimension is important, he said. There’s certainly a strong feeling that if you marry the capabilities in the South with colleagues in the North, it’s a very competitive story to tell internationally. Working with the nanobiotechnology centre at Cornell, which is world renowned, is very significant, he added.

From a patient perspective, nanotechnology can enable more sensitive diagnostic tests for disease at point of care, more effective imaging of tumours and improved drug delivery, explained Prof MacCraith. It’s about generating high-quality data, understanding the science and then leading to applications in diagnostic, he added.

Ultimately it’s about delivering better healthcare in the future by exploiting these major technological developments. Moving these developments out of the lab is the current focus, he added, noting that all three partner universities have substantial links with industry. “All of this research and investment is of no value unless we can actually translate it into both commercial and clinical utility.”