Public release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Myles Gough myles.gough@unsw.edu.au 61-407-061-209 University of New South Wales
The Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN) at UNSW is hosting the fourth International Nanomedicine Conference from 1 3 July in Sydney.
The conference will bring together world-leading experts to highlight research into new drugs, targeted drug delivery systems, diagnostics and imaging, and regenerative medicine.
The ACN is an interdisciplinary research centre comprising UNSW scientists, engineers and clinicians who are working together to develop new treatments that could deliver a mighty blow in the fight against currently incurable diseases, including a range of chemo-resistant cancers.
Nanomedicine involves the development of new treatment and detection strategies in medicine that arise from nanotechnology, such as the synthesis of nano-sized particles that have been engineered to perform a very specific function inside the body.
One nanometre is equivalent to one-billionth of a metre and is roughly 60,000 times thinner than a human hair. A single strand of DNA is just three nanometres wide.
At this sub-microscopic scale, materials sometimes exhibit curious physical, chemical and biological properties. These can be exploited to create particles that release drugs in a highly controlled way or to develop sensors that can provide early detection of disease.
Keynote speakers include:
Things to watch from the Australian Centre for Nanomedicine at UNSW: