Europe must invest in nanotechnology R&D

The report, the result of a two-year-long study conducted by the >European Science Foundation​ (ESF), concludes that emerging nanomedicine technologies will increasingly serve as new medical tools for diagnostics and therapeutics in various areas of healthcare including drug discovery and development, drug delivery and providing targeted therapy.

It suggests it will soon be possible to monitor people on the basis of known genetic predispositions, diagnose disease before there are any symptoms, administer drugs that are precisely targeted, and use non-invasive imaging tools to demonstrate that the treatment was effective.

Nanomedicine integrates technology, biology and medicine using tools and materials constructed from molecular and atomic-sized particles too small to seen with a conventional laboratory microscope. The ESF claims the use of this technology will lead to reduced healthcare costs and the rapid realisation of medical benefits for all European citizens.

However, the report warns that although several European companies are at the cutting-edge of research in this area and funding in Europe for nanotechnology research is rapidly growing, Europe's ability to lead and benefit will be compromised unless a series of key recommendations are followed.

The ESF stresses that there needs to be a strategic focus on nano-therapeutics for major disease areas such as cancer, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders.

It would also like to see 5- and 10-year plans developed to enable the manufacturing industry to move to production of in vitro multi-analyte nanodiagnostics and in vivo nanosensors and devices.

The ESF believes it is vital that interdisciplinary education and training is promoted in nanomedicine, to ensure that Europe has sufficient specialists in the field. In addition it would like to see support for collaborations in nanomedicine between academics and industry including access to manufacturing facilities.

The report also indicates the need for European-wide acknowledgement that nanomedicines represent a new class of pharmaceuticals and thus require a new regulatory approach. In addition, the safety and environmental concerns such as toxicity of nanomedicines need to be confronted.

Finally, the ESF believe that ensuring that politicians, the media and the general public are informed about nanomedicine and understand its advantages and potential drawbacks, is of great importance to the acceptance of these new technologies.

"We believe that we are at the dawn of a new beginning and hope this report will form a catalyst for action, and that implementation of these recommendations should enable Europe to play a continued leading role in the controlled development of nanomedicine,"​ said report chairperson Professor Ruth Duncan.

The ESF report can be viewed >here.​