Berkeley Lab researchers have developed the largest two-dimensional polymer crystal self-assembled in water to date.

"The biologically inspired sheet is made of polymers, or long molecules with repeating units, that mimic the precision and order seen in proteins and crystal structures," writes Wired's Janelle Weaver. "But these synthetic sheets are made of molecular building blocks that are more durable than their natural counterparts."

"This in turn is bound to make it suitable for a wide array of potential applications in the electronics industry and in biotechnology too," according to Softpedia. "The plywood-like structure is so neatly ordered that some have even compared its organization with that of proteins and crystal structures."

"Our findings bridge the gap between natural biopolymers and their synthetic counterparts, which is a fundamental problem in nanoscience," explains Ronald Zuckermann, Director of the Biological Nanostructures Facility at the Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry. "We can now translate fundamental sequence information from proteins to a non-natural polymer, which results in a robust synthetic nanomaterial with an atomically-defined structure."

Trinity College Dublin's Center for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) has been awarded €15.5 million in funding to lead two European nano research projects.

CRANN, along with Trinity College Dublin's Institute of Molecular Medicine and its School of Medicine as well as Cellix Ltd. and Radisens Diagnostics, will lead a team developing new nanomedicine solutions for early diagnosis of cancer.

"This is a huge vote of confidence and recognizes Irish leadership in the cutting edge field of nanomedicine," says Professor Dermot Kelleher, head of the Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine and director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine.

"This research program will address some of the most important questions in human medicine relating to diagnosis and treatment of cancer, using 21st century experience and know-how in nanotechnology -- and we are looking forward to the time when our patients here will benefit from these innovative technologies," Kelleher says.

The press release is here.

Caltech researchers are exploring ways of using nanotech robots to disable cancerous genes.

"These small nanoparticle robots enter a patient's blood stream and then get to work on the tumors - this is where they can deliver therapy that in some cases can turn off the cancer gene," writes Product Reviews' Peter Chubb.

"Interfering RNAs are a new type of therapy that attack cancers and other diseases at the genetic level; its discovery in 1998 won Andrew Fine and Craig Mello the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine," writes InventorSpot's T Goodman. "But the Caltech researchers were the first to create the right nanobot to deliver the siRNAs and they were able to inject the drug-filled nanobots directly into the patients' bloodstreams."

"The researchers established that the nano-therapy deactivated the protein ribonucleotide reductase," writes TheMedGuru's Neha Jindal.

More here from Tonic ... more here from Nature News ... and the press release is here.

A recent report by the U.S. Council of Advisors on Science and Technology found that the U.S. is no longer leading the world in nanotechnology investment.

"The reports says that between 2003 and 2008, U.S. public and private investments in nanotechnology grew by 18 percent a year compared with 27 percent a year throughout the world," writes ITBusinessEdge's Susan Hall.

"The group found that in 2005, the European Union outspent U.S. government investments in nanotechnology research and development," writes CIOL's Julie Steenhuysen.

"Corporate investments in nanotech research and development are larger than even the substantial federal investments - $5.7 billion in 2008," writes TechNewsWorld's Kimberly Hill. "Still, other countries, such as China, Japan and South Korea, are increasing their public and private investments at a faster rate."

"The council made recommendations that would help bring the US back to the forefront of the nanotech industry," according to redOrbit. "Those recommendations include: increased overall funding to coordinate research and development in nanotechnology, more focus on commercialization of nanotech products, and incentives put in place for foreign scientists and engineers who study in the United States to stay once they complete their training."

"If the U.S. loses its lead in nanotechnology, it could be more than a tiny problem," notes DailyTech's Jason Mick. "It would mean that vital business dollars would go overseas and U.S. manufacturers would be forced to license and dependent on foreign nanomaterials and process suppliers."