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CANCER, NANOSCIENCE
 New US nanotech alliance follows in footsteps of EU research networks
In an interesting turnabout, the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) has just launched a new scheme to jumpstart nanotechnology-based cancer treatments and standards which seems to draw on the EU’s new research instruments under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
 | Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women and nanoscience holds promise of unlocking some of its secrets.
© Bill Branson, NCI |
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On 13 September, the NCI formally unveiled what it calls the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, a five-year $144.3 million (just over €110 million) initiative to help private and public sector researchers to develop and launch nanotech-based products and standards to tackle the deadly disease.
“Nanotechnology has the potential to radically increase our options for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer," said NCI Director Andrew von Eschenbach. "NCI's commitment to this cancer initiative comes at a critical time. Nanotechnology supports and expands the scientific advances in genomics and proteomics and builds on our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of cancer. These are the pillars which will support progress in cancer."
The partnership has already set up the Nanotechnology Characterisation Laboratory (NCL) which will facilitate the regulatory review of nanotech-based cancer products, including targeted drug delivery vehicles. The lab began work earlier this month with a team of six scientists and a budget of $4 million (€3 million approximately).
“The goal is to establish a set of standards and assays that companies can use in preparation for regulatory filings to characterise nanoparticles in terms of their size and composition, their behaviour in the body and their safety,” NCL Director Scott McNeil was quoted as saying by Nature Biotechnology.
The NCL will work closely with US regulators, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “We expect the NCL to facilitate the development of therapeutics and diagnostics using nanotechnology by developing the [the scientific standards] needed to inform our regulatory decisions,” the FDA’s Janet Woodcock was quoted as saying.
Cloning European partnership models
Most of the Alliance’s funds have been earmarked for applications-based joint research projects. It will invest some $90.8 million (nearly €70 million) into up to five so-called ‘centers for excellence’. These resemble the EU’s Networks of Excellence (NoEs) launched in 2002 under FP6.
NoEs are part of a whole suite of new financing instruments, which also includes Integrated Projects (IPs), created by the EU to convert the wealth of fundamental knowledge – which Europe produces in abundance – into concrete applications. By so doing, the Union seeks to improve the quality of life of European citizens and help fulfil its ambition of becoming the world’s leading knowledge-based economy.
The Commission backs numerous nanomedicine and nanobiotech networks. The first of these to be launched was the €8.8 million Nano2Life network with 23 partner institutes in 12 countries which aims, ultimately, to create a virtual European institute for nanobiotechnology. So far, Nano2Life has seeded 20 initial research projects and has embarked on a road map initiative.
Other examples include the €5 million Frontiers NoE and the €25 million CellPROM IP. All these projects are covered by FP6’s €1.3 billion third thematic priority ‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, knowledge-based multifunctional materials and new production processes and devices’.
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