For several years, the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) has supported exploratory
work integrating nanotechnology into cancer
research. The NCI is moving the science of
nanotechnology into the clinic to change the
way we diagnose, treat and prevent cancer.
Today, nanodevices are used
in detecting cancer at its earliest stages,
pinpointing its location within the body,
delivering anticancer drugs specifically to
malignant cells, and determining if these
drugs are killing malignant cells. As research
continues and nanodevices are evaluated for
safety and efficacy, nanotechnology will result
in significant advances in early detection,
molecular imaging, assessment and therapeutic
efficacy, targeted and multifunctional therapeutics,
and the prevention and control of cancer.
Over the next five years,
the NCI will fund $144.3 million in research
and development through the NCI Alliance for
Nanotechnology in Cancer. This Alliance will
direct research efforts and facilitate partnerships
across the scientific and research communities
and the public and private sectors. These
efforts capitalize on the multidisciplinary
nature of nanotechnology development and will
hasten its application to the elimination
of suffering and death due to cancer.
What is Nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is the development
and engineering of devices so small that they
are measured on a molecular scale. This emerging
field involves scientists from many different
disciplines, including physicists, chemists,
engineers, information technologists, and
material scientists, as well as biologists.
Nanotechnology is being applied to almost
every field imaginable, including electronics,
magnetics, optics, information technology,
materials development, and biomedicine.
The Size of Things
Nanoscale devices are one
hundred to ten thousand times smaller than
human cells. They are similar in size to large
biological molecules ("biomolecules")
such as enzymes and receptors. As an example,
hemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen
in red blood cells, is approximately 5 nanometers
in diameter. Nanoscale devices smaller than
50 nanometers can easily enter most cells,
while those smaller than 20 nanometers can
move out of blood vessels as they circulate
through the body.
Because of their small size,
nanoscale devices can readily interact with
biomolecules on both the surface and inside
cells. By gaining access to so many areas
of the body, they have the potential to detect
disease and deliver treatment in ways unimagined
before now.
Nanotechnology in
Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy
Biological processes, including
events that lead to cancer, occur at the nanoscale.
Nanotechnology offers unprecedented access
to the interior of living cells, and therefore
provides researchers with the opportunity
to study and interact with normal and cancer
cells in real time, at the molecular and cellular
scales, and during the earliest stages of
the cancer process.
Nanodevices can provide
rapid and sensitive detection of cancer-related
molecules by enabling scientists to detect
molecular changes even when they occur only
in a small percentage of cells. They also
have the potential to radically change cancer
therapy for the better and to dramatically
increase the number of highly effective therapeutic
agents. Nanoscale constructs can serve as
customizable, targeted drug delivery vehicles
capable of ferrying large doses of chemotherapeutic
agents or therapeutic genes into malignant
cells while sparing healthy cells, greatly
reducing or eliminating the side effects that
accompany many current cancer therapies.
Examples of Nanotechnologies
Nanowires
Nano sized sensing wires lay
across a microfluidic channel. These nanowires
by nature have incredible properties of selectivity
and specificity. As particles flow through
the microfluidic channel, the nanowire sensors
pick up the molecular signatures of these
particles and can immediately relay this information
through a connection of electrodes to the
outside world. These nanodevices are man-made
constructs made with carbon, silicon and other
materials that have the capability to monitor
the complexity of biological phenomenon and
relay the information, as it is monitored,
to the medical care provider. They can detect
the presence of altered genes associated with
cancer and may help researchers pinpoint the
exact location of those changes.
Cantilevers
Nanoscale cantilevers - microscopic,
flexible beams resembling a row of diving
boards - are built using semiconductor lithographic
techniques and coated with molecules capable
of binding to the biomarkers of cancer. As
a cancer cell secretes its molecular products,
the antibodies coated on the cantilever fingers
selectively bind to these secreted proteins,
changing the physical properties of the cantilever
and signaling the presence of cancer. Researchers
can read this change in real time and provide
not only information about the presence and
the absence but also the concentration of
different molecular expressions. Nanoscale
cantilevers, constructed as part of a larger
diagnostic device, can provide rapid and sensitive
detection of cancer-related molecules.
Nanoshells
Nanoshells have a core of
silica and a metallic outer layer. Scientists
can link the nanoshells to antibodies that
recognize tumor cells. Once the cancer cells
take them up, scientists apply near-infrared
light that is absorbed by the nanoshells,
creating an intense heat that selectively
kills the tumor cells and not neighboring
healthy cells. The result is greater efficacy
of the therapeutic treatment and a significantly
reduced set of side effects.
Nanoparticles
Nanoparticles can be engineered
to target cancer cells for use in the molecular
imaging of a malignant lesion. Large numbers
of nanoparticles are safely injected into
the body and preferentially bind to the cancer
cell, defining the anatomical contour of the
lesion and making it visible. These nanoparticles
give us the ability to see cells and molecules
that we otherwise cannot detect through conventional
imaging. The ability to pick up what happens
in the cell - to monitor therapeutic intervention
and to see when a cancer cell is mortally
wounded or is actually activated - is critical
to the successful diagnosis and treatment
of the disease. Nanoparticulate technology
can prove to be very useful in cancer therapy
allowing for effective and targeted drug delivery
by overcoming the many biological, biophysical
and biomedical barriers that the body stages
against a standard intervention such as the
administration of drugs or contrast agents.
Strategic Implementation:
The Cancer Nanotechnology Plan
The Cancer Nanotechnology
Plan (CNPlan) is a focused strategy to capitalize
on past NCI investments in nanotechnology
and direct those and new efforts on the immediate
mission of the NCI. The plan carries an aggressive
timeline and specific milestones to achieve
the NCI goals. The projects initiated under
the CNPlan will be integrated, milestone driven,
and product oriented. The efforts will include
targeted objectives and goals, and will use
a project-management approach to help capitalize
on today's opportunities to create the tools
that both cancer researchers and clinicians
need.
Based on the input NCI solicited
from researchers and clinicians, the cancer
community will be extremely involved in the
implementation of the plan. NCI will continue
to utilize traditional funding mechanisms
to further promising research, and will supplement
these efforts with a targeted approach that
stresses interdisciplinary team efforts involving
partners from across the cancer research and
nanotechnology development communities.
The NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology
in Cancer is a comprehensive, systematized
initiative encompassing the public and private
sectors, designed to accelerate the application
of the best capabilities of nanotechnology
to cancer. The Alliance is one of the first
steps in implementing the CNPlan and focuses
on applying research and translating it into
clinical products in six key programmatic
areas:
• Molecular imaging
and early detection - diagnostics to detect
cancer in the earliest, most easily treatable,
pre-symptomatic stage
• In vivo imaging - targeted contrast
agents that improve the resolution of cancer
and address the diversity of tumors at the
single cell level
• Reporters of efficacy - systems to
provide real-time assessments of therapeutic
and surgical efficacy
• Multifunctional therapeutics - multifunctional
targeted devices to deliver multiple therapeutic
agents directly to cancer cells
• Prevention and control - agents to
monitor predictive molecular changes and prevent
precancerous cells from becoming malignant.
• Research enablers - research tools
to identify new biological targets, opening
new pathways for research
Source:
http://www.nanovip.com/node/6437
Nanotechnology linked
to mesothelioma concern
The scientific journal Nature
Nanotechnology published a report May 20 detailing
the results of an early study that likens
the effect of carbon nanotubes to asbestos
when introduced into the body. Researchers
injected mice with nanotube fibers and observed
the same type of imbedding, irritation, inflamation
and the creation of lesions called granulomas,
which can lead to mesothelioma.
Nanotubes are tiny, cylindrical
carbon molecules that, according to Wikipedia,
exhibit extraordinary strength and unique
electrical properties, and are efficient conductors
of heat. They are already being used in sporting
equipment like bicycle frames and tennis rackets
due to their strength, and are thought to
be the future of technology. They are used
in some electronic components now, and are
being researched to build tiny electronics
and optics.
Researchers do not believe
that materials containing carbon nanotubes
are dangerous in and of themselves, in materials
and products where they are safely encased,
but are concerned about tiny nanotube fibers
being released when those products are broken
or incinerated. Also, they are concerned about
workplace safety for nano factory workers.
The Washington Post reported
that “preliminary evidence of cancer
risk is strong enough to justify urgent follow-up
tests and government guidance for nano factory
workers.”
The National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health is conducting
nanotoxicology research, and, according to
a story in the San Francisco Chronicle, already
recommends people working with carbon nanotubes
follow NIOSH guidelines for working with engineered
nanomaterials. This includes using respirators
and special filters to clean the air. It is
estimated that nanotubes will be a $2 billion
industry within the next few years, and nanoparticle
technology and production even more than that.
The Washington Post points
out that there is already significant federal
spending in place to support this industry,
with the National Nanotechnology Initiative
providing about $1.5 billion a year for research.
Only 5 percent of that fund is focused on
health and safety. While the carbon nanotube
research is preliminary, its findings are
significant enough to warrant real concern.
John M. Balbus, health program
chief at the Environmental Defense Fund, made
a prophetic statement to the Washington Post
about the future of nanotechnology as it relates
to public health. The paper quotes him as
saying, “I think we are really coming
to a critical juncture relating to transparency
and stewardship. We will see whether various
companies are going to be proactive and up
front with people, and communicate openly
in a way that inspires confidence and not
repeat mistakes that other industries made
in the past.”
Source: http://www.mymeso.org/2008/05/21/nanotechnology-linked-to-mesothelioma-concern/
EU new member states
push for integration into European micro-,
nanotechnology research
The MINOS-EURONET project
has combined novel methods with traditional
ones to help organisations from New Member
States to gain a higher visibility within
European research in Micro- and Nanotechnologies
(MNT). Also different approaches to efficient
networking have been applied. The project
that will finish in May 2008, had started
3 years ago with the development of knowledge
databases, combined with organising workshops
and brokerage events and publicising through
the website, an Email newsletter and the printed
MNT Bulletin. These „standard‰
networking methods showed some success in
bringing Eastern and Western researchers together
but outcome in terms of joint projects was
still limited.
To increase the visible outcome
of these actions, MINOS-EURONET decided in
2007 to combine different actions into a unified
database (www.minos-euro.net/databases) that
now contains profiles of European specialists,
research centres, projects and networks related
to the Micro and Nano Technology field, with
a special emphasis on profiles from Central
and Eastern Europe. The database aims to reveal
and promote the research competences from
the New Member States (NMS) at European scale
and to facilitate the participation of these
organisations to EC programmes and other activities
in the field of micro- and nanosystems. The
unified database is also the backbone for
online brokerage activities. For the preparation
of proposals in EC FP7 this tool has been
extensively used in addition to face-to-face
brokerage events.
The idea of a roadshow
was born as it became clear that while many
of the Eastern partners in MINOS know each
other very well, and had a clear idea of their
capabilities, there was still too little contact
with institutions in Western Europe. In fact
awareness of the Eastern partners was very
low in the West due to the lack of contact
with the major research institutes. A key
objective of the roadshow was to address this
lack of awareness in the West. Many of the
major institutes in the West have been accessing
EC funding since the inception of the Framework
programmes. As a result, there are many academics
who are highly networked and experienced in
putting together successful proposals. However,
in the East, many institutes have little experience
of working on EC proposals, and are therefore
at a disadvantage to their more experienced
Western colleagues. The roadshow aimed to
forge strong partnerships between East and
West in order to utilise the Western expertise
and improve the chances of Eastern partners
successfully receiving EC funding.
About MINOS-EURONET
MINOS-EURONET is devoted to
stimulating, encouraging and facilitating
the participation of New Member States (NMS)
and the Associated Candidate Countries (ACC)
in the activities of Micro- and Nanotechnologies
of the European Union. The project is focussing
on the following objectives:
1) To reveal and promote the
research competences from NMS and ACC, namely
competences which are relevant for the development
of the field of micro-nanosystems at the European
scale.
2) To facilitate the participation
of NMS and ACC organisations to EU programmes
and other activities in the field of micro-nanosystems:
a) by providing specific information through
databases and other electronic or conventional
means and b) by direct contacts through information
and awareness events, as well as through brokerage
meetings.
3) Extensive networking at
the pan-European scale in the field of micro-nanosystems,
especially by networking the organisations
in NMS and ACC which have a potential for
the future development of the field with the
established networks in EU.
4) Facilitating progress
towards building a future research policy
and research direction for micro-nanosystems,
micro/nanotechnology and converging technologies
in NMS/AC.
The characteristic of this
project is given by the presence of eight
coordinators of big FP6 projects in the project
consortium: 5 Networks of Excellence (GOSPEL,
PATENT-DfMM, AMICOM, 4M, Nano2Life), 2 Integrated
Projects (GOOD FOOD, HEALTHY AIMS) and ASSEMIC,
a Marie Curie network are involved. A general
presentation and the project description can
be found at: www.minos-euro.net
MINOS-EURONET Databases
The database system has been
recently improved by adding some new features
in order to facilitate the access to the information
and the management of profiles. Therefore
four databases have been merged into a single
one. Currently the database contains more
than 400 Research Centers, 350 Specialists,
40 Projects and 18 networks. The system is
based on a single logon, where the user can
manage all the profiles that belong to his/her
account. In order to see the information provided
by other people the user has to share some
information in exchange, so every new user
will have to fill in at least one form for
the database. All European Micro and Nano
experts and innovative SMEs are invited to
complete the databases and participate to
networking. To become part of the database,
please log in at www.minos-euro.net/databases.
Source: http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=5789.php
Ulster Scientists
Develop DNA Biosensor Technology
Scientists Dr Tony
Byrne, Professor Pascal Mailley and Dr Patrick
Lemoine are collaborating on developing ground-breaking
biosensors
Scientists at the University
of Ulster are using nanotechnology - highly
miniaturised technology - to build new DNA
biosensors which could be used in identifying
genetic diseases, cancer research, identification
of dangerous micro-organisms, and forensic
science.
Dr Patrick Lemoine and Dr
Tony Byrne from the School of Electrical and
Mechanical Engineering at Ulster have teamed
up with French biosensor expert, Professor
Pascal Mailley from the CEA Grenoble research
facility for the project. The collaboration
has been facilitated by a research grant from
the Royal Society. The aim of the project
is to devise a DNA biosensor using new nanoscale
fabrication techniques. This means manipulating
engineering materials which are one thousand
times smaller than the width of a human hair.
The Nanotechnology and Integrated BioEngineering
Centre (NIBEC) at Ulster has state-of-the-art
facilities
for nanomaterials research
as well as the mix of disciplinary expertise
- physics, chemistry, biology and engineering,
required for such projects.
Man-made biosensors are usually
small hand-held devices costing a few pounds,
which can replace laboratory systems costing
thousands of pounds. Some are already commercially
available in pharmacies, such as blood/sugar
measurement devices essential for diabetics.What
is not available is an equivalent biosensor
to detect DNA - the long chain molecule hidden
in human cells which holds the key to life
and which provides an unique code for every
individual on earth. Such a biosensor would
present enormous opportunities. For example,
DNA sequencing is necessary for the identification
and treatment of genetic diseases, for cancer
research, for the identification of dangerous
micro-organisms or for forensic science."
Dr Lemoine says: "The
key idea of the proposal is to use specific
techniques called ‘self-assembly' and
‘nano-patterning' to create arrays containing
millions of pixels with very high surface
areas.This means that more DNA fragments can
be immobilised in smaller geometric areas,
typically a few millimetres square. When the
‘chip' is exposed to a sample of unknown
DNA, the complementary strands join up, revealing
the sequence of the unknown DNA.This technology
is not only applicable to DNA chips but might
allow the production of biosensors using a
wide range of bio-molecules which may be used
as miniature implantable sensors for monitoring
conditions within the body.For example, the
development of an artificial pancreas, which
could both measure glucose and control insulin
delivery, would be of major benefit to diabetics.
Source: http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=29394
Nanotechnology in
reverse uses cell to calibrate tools
Nanotechnology researchers at UC Davis have
shown that they can use a red blood cell to
calibrate a sensitive instrument, an atomic
force microscope. "It turns around the
rules of nanotechnology, by using biology
to calibrate an instrument," said Volkmar
Heinrich, assistant professor in the Department
of Biomedical Engineering at UC Davis and
co-author of the paper with graduate student
Chawin Ounkomol.
An atomic force microscope
uses a tiny lever that runs over the surface
of an object. Small deflections of the tip
are read and translated to produce an image
of the object's surface. However, accurate
calibration of the springiness of the tip
is difficult.
Heinrich and Ounkomol used
individual red blood cells sucked onto the
end of a pipette to push the lever. The lab
has previously developed a model that calculates
the exact forces needed to squeeze a red blood
cell by a certain amount. They could therefore
use the red blood cell to very accurately
calibrate the springiness of the atomic force
microscope cantilever.
Heinrich does not see the
technique as a new way to calibrate these
instruments, but it does show that the red
blood cell can be used as an accurate force
transducer, he said, and could be used as
a tool to measure forces between individual
molecules and cells or between molecules.
Those measurements can advance our understanding
of cell biology, for example how cancers spread
or how immune cells enter tissues to fight
infection.
The paper is published in the April 14 issue
of the journal Applied Physics Letters and
also was selected for the April 28 issue of
the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and
Technology, which links to original papers
in other journals.
Source:
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=5722.php
Nanotechnology in
Reverse Uses Red Blood Cell To Calibrate Atomic
Force Microscope
"It turns around the rules of nanotechnology,
by using biology to calibrate an instrument,"
said Volkmar Heinrich, assistant professor
in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
at UC Davis and co-author of the paper with
graduate student Chawin Ounkomol.
An atomic force microscope uses a tiny lever
that runs over the surface of an object. Small
deflections of the tip are read and translated
to produce an image of the object's surface.
However, accurate calibration of the springiness
of the tip is difficult.
Heinrich and Ounkomol used individual red
blood cells sucked onto the end of a pipette
to push the lever. The lab has previously
developed a model that calculates the exact
forces needed to squeeze a red blood cell
by a certain amount. They could therefore
use the red blood cell to very accurately
calibrate the springiness of the atomic force
microscope cantilever.
Heinrich does not see the technique as a new
way to calibrate these instruments, but it
does show that the red blood cell can be used
as an accurate force transducer, he said,
and could be used as a tool to measure forces
between individual molecules and cells or
between molecules. Those measurements can
advance our understanding of cell biology,
for example how cancers spread or how immune
cells enter tissues to fight infection.
The paper is published in the April 14 issue
of the journal Applied Physics Letters and
also was selected for the April 28 issue of
the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and
Technology.
Source: http://www.nanovip.com/node/6396
Saudi Arabia to obtain insider info
on nanotechnology water treatment from Japan
Saudia Arabia's Saline Water
Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has started
a joint research project with the Japanese
Water Recycling Center focusing on integrating
high-tech nanotechnology water treatment in
the current process of distillation operations.
The project has started at
the Corporation Institute for saline water
research in Jubail city. Fahd Al-Sharif, Governor
of SWCC said the Institute has signed a number
of agreements to develop the technology of
water treatment and recycling. The Saudi-Japanese
water corporation is aiming at reducing expenses
of treated water production and the technology
brought home.
Besides the Japanese center,
SWCC signed agreements with a Singaporean
center for saline water technology, Saudi
Aramco and King Abdul Aziz City for Sciences
and Technology. Soon the SWCC will sign contracts
with universities to help to develop water
treatment and filtering processes in the Kingdom.
The Kingdom should be a pioneer in research
on saline water conversion, Al-Sharif said.
Corporation Institute in Jubail is preparing
a good base of human resources qualified to
conduct more research, he added.
But to jump start a well-defined
research center for water treatment in the
Kingdom, cooperation agreements with the world's
leading water companies and research centers
around the world are a must, he added. In
addition to conducting water treatment research
in the Kingdom, the agreements would profit
the Kingdom by providing insider information
of water treatment.
Source:
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=5748.php
Spin control:
New technique sorts nanotubes by length
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) have reported* a new
technique to sort batches of carbon nanotubes
by length using high-speed centrifuges. Many
potential applications for carbon nanotubes
depend on the lengths of these microscopic
cylinders, and one of the most important features
of the new technique, say the scientists,
is that it should be easily scalable to produce
industrial quantities of high-quality nanotubes.
So-called single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)
are essentially sheets of carbon atoms only
one atom thick that have rolled themselves
into tubes with a diameter of approximately
one nanometer. They have unique combinations
of thermal, mechanical, optical and electronic
properties that suggest a wide variety of
uses, including circuit elements in molecular
electronics, fluorescent tags for diagnostic
and therapeutic applications in medicine and
light sources for compact, efficient flat-panel
displays, among many others.
Unfortunately, the methods for manufacturing
carbon nanotubes always create a large percentage
of nanojunk in the mix-clumps of carbon, ordinary
soot, particles of metal used as a catalyst-and
nanotubes come in an enormous range of lengths,
from a few tens or hundreds, up to thousands
of nanometers. Refining the lot is essential
for most uses. For many potential applications,
nanotubes need to be separated by length.
In biomedical applications, for example, it
has been shown that whether or not nanotubes
are taken up in cells depends critically on
length (see "Study: Cells Selectively
Absorb Short Nanotubes.") Nanotubes used
as components in future microcircuits obviously
need to fit in place, and in optical applications,
a nanotube's length determines how strongly
it will absorb or emit light (see "Longer
is Better for Nanotube Optical Properties.")
In 2006, researchers found that you could
separate nanotubes by "chirality"
(a measure of the twist in the carbon atom
sheet) by spinning them in a dense fluid in
an ultracentrifuge tube because of a relationship
between chirality and buoyancy. In this new
work, a team of NIST researchers demonstrated
that a variation of the same technique can
separate nanotubes by length. They showed
that while the nanotubes ultimately will move
to a point of equilibrium in the centrifuge
tube dictated by their buoyancy, due to friction
they will move at different rates depending
on their lengths.
"When we spin the centrifuge, it turns
out that the longer ones move faster. We basically
just run a race and the longer ones move farther
in the same amount of time," says researcher
Jeffrey Fagan, "Eventually they get separated
enough in position that we can just pull off
layers and get different lengths."
What's particularly exciting, they say, is
that while other techniques have been shown
to sort nanotubes by length, this is the first
approach that could be scaled up to produce
commercially important quantities of nanotubes
in a given length range. The process also
removes much of unwanted junk-particularly
metal particles-from the batch. NIST has applied
for a patent on the process.
Source: http://www.nanitenews.com/Research/Spin_control_New_technique_sorts_nanotubes_by_length.asp
Nanotechnology revolution
Nanotechnology manufacturing has a
promise of producing new materials a hundred
times stronger than steel, and more efficient
and cheaper to produce as compared to the existing
production techniques. Mind boggling examples
of some of these products include: very small
devices that can be implanted under the skin,
and pincers that can be injected in the veins
to perform medical procedures; self - contained
portable factories ready to make cheap products
efficiently at the molecular scale; and development
software that can process enormous amounts of
data involving diverse sources of science.
Other benefits may include: 1. Molecular manufacturing
would greatly reduce water requirements, and
also cheaply run greenhouses would be a means
of saving water, land, and food. 2. The efficient
and inexpensive generation of electricity, using
solar and thermal power, will make electric
power available to basically everyone in the
world. 3. Faster, cheaper, and more powerful
computers will be available that could help
improve information and communication systems
even in the remotest areas. 4. Manufacturing
of new technologies will be self - contained
and clean, and will have less of an environmental
impact. 5. Cheap and advanced equipment for
medical research and health care will make improved
medicine widely available. It will be feasible
to restore human organ engineered tissue while
simple products will greatly reduce infectious
diseases prevailing in many parts of the world.
6. Nanotechnology will enhance capabilities
in space ventures and operations.
However, while nanotechnology has a promise
of great benefits to the future, there are some
very serious risks. Imagine, for example, weapons
that could be packed in a small match box, but
carrying enough lethal material that is capable
of wiping out the entire population of a major
city. Other risks include: 1. The stakeholders
— manufacturers, salesmen, and marketing
agencies — will have to revise their investment
plans to survive involving tens of trillions
of dollars spent on everything from basic necessities
to communication devices, recreation, and our
environment. Huge monopolies, command over unprecedented
wealth, and control of employment and product
prices, enjoyed by the manufacturers could lead
to anti-competitive practices and Schumpeterian
creative destruction — the process by
which a new product, or new production techniques,
replace existing products and techniques resulting
in the replacement of one monopolist by another.
2. Criminals and terrorists equipped with stronger,
more powerful, and more compact devices can
cause unimaginable harm to society.
Source:
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=29352
