Nano Health Initiative - McDevitt Research Labs UT Austin

Motivation:In the US, health care spendingcontinues to rise at the highest rate in history and now represents no less than 16% of the US gross domestic product. The annual premium for an employer’s health plan covering a family of four in 2005 averaged an amount of $11,500. Meanwhile, the average government spending on health care in the resource poor settings is less than $10 per person per year. In spite of the globalization of the economy, governments and drug companies continue to pour 90% of their resources into research that benefits only 10% of the world's people. Clearly, both developed countries and those in resource poor settings face enormous challenges with respect to the management and containment of future health care costs. Nanotechnology promises to revolutionize medicine in the 21st century. This program will strive to use the tools of nano science and engineering in an effort to improve the quality and accessibility of health care on a global scale.

Fundamental Scientific Questions: The overall goal of this Nano Health program is to define conceptual basis for and establish the literal interface between biology and medical devices at the nano scale. The program will strive to achieve molecular-level insight into various health issues through the completion of the following activities: 1) to characterize quantitatively the physical and chemical properties of molecules and nanomachinery in cells; 2) to gain an understanding of the engineering principles used in living cells to "build" molecules, molecular complexes, organelles, cells, and tissues; 3) to use this knowledge of properties and design principles to develop new technologies, and engineer devices and hybrid structures, for repairing tissues and for preventing and curing disease.
Indeed, the development of the next generation of diagnostic and imaging aids using advanced micro and nano fabrication procedures has the potential to generate information rich tools that can be used for predicting, personalizing and preempting disease. Activities in these areas may also contribute the delivery of therapeutic agents with molecular-level precision in the treatment of various diseases. Stated succinctly, this Nano Health program will strive to manipulate biology at the nano scale in vivo for medical use.