The Nano-Network, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, and Case Western Reserve University today announced the organizations will partner to host a national summit to explore the use of nanoparticles for diagnostics, imaging and therapeutics to improve medical treatment and patient care.
The 2008 NanoMedicine Summit will take place on September 25-26, 2008 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. At the summit, researchers, physicians, and business professionals will share information about cutting-edge nanomedicine research and commercialized applications. Complete event and registration information can be found online at www.nanomedicinesummit.org
“We are pleased to be partnering with the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute and Case Western Reserve University to host the 2008 NanoMedicine Summit. The steering committee has organized a top quality program to highlight the latest nanotechnology advancements in diagnostics, imaging, and therapeutics. The Summit will emphasize nanotechnologies that will impact the development of future healthcare in a global economy,” said Alexis Abramson, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at NorTech, Executive Director of the Nano-Network and Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University.
The NanoMedicine Summit made its debut in Cleveland in 2004 with a focus on nanotechnology applications in cardiology, neurology, oncology and orthopaedics. In 2006, the event highlighted nanomaterials for medical devices used in orthopedics and spinal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, neurology and neurosurgery, and minimally invasive surgery. Both events were an overwhelming success, each attracting a broad audience of over 300 people, from across the United States.
This year, the Summit’s steering committee aims to build on the momentum of the 2004 and 2006 events, by connecting leaders at the forefront of nanotechnology who are developing cutting edge, next-generation nanotechnology products and solutions for the healthcare industry. Since nanoparticles are becoming increasingly used in innovative research for the development of medical applications and devices, this year’s Summit will highlight the impact these unique nanostructures are having on diagnosis and treatment of disease.
“NanoMedicine is an emerging and expanding field with myriad applications and may play an important role is translational research - or moving laboratory research to patient care,” said Vinod Labhasetwar, PhD, Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer NanoMedicine Program. “The applications of NanoMedicine are vast and may lead to the development of new diagnostic tools, early disease detection and new drug therapies.” Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer NanoMedicine Program is a joint program of the Lerner Research Institute’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Taussig Cancer Institute.
Topics to be covered at the summit include the use of nanoparticles for:
- Imaging cancer and other diseases
- Drug delivery
- Treatment of disease
- Biological investigation
- Basic nanomedicine research
Confirmed speakers for the 2008 NanoMedicine Summit are top nanoscientists and business professionals from around the country, including leading biomedical researchers, clinician investigators, technologists from public and private companies, and medical industry thought leaders.
“Case Western Reserve University is pleased to welcome these renowned scientists to Cleveland. The recent award of a Biomedical Research and Commercialization Grant from the State of Ohio in nanomedical technology with Case Western Reserve University as lead institution testifies to the emphasis on this promising field on our campus, and we look forward to the exchange of ideas that always occurs in these meetings,” said Dean Pamela Davis, herself a speaker at the Summit.
The 2008 NanoMedicine Summit is part of a five day series of activities during Nano Week in Cleveland, September 22-26. Stay tuned to www.nano-network.org for more details about Nano Week.
About the Nano-Network:
The Nano Network is a program of NorTech, Northeast Ohio’s technology-based economic development organization. The Nano-Network was formed by scientists, entrepreneurs and financiers to improve and expand nanotechnology research and commercialization activities and capacities in Northeast Ohio, and throughout the nation. The Nano-Network is one of the largest and best-known privately funded, “grass roots” nanotechnology organizations in the United States. The Nano-Network is currently managed by NorTech (www.nortech.org), a regional economic development organization focused on innovation, technology and entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio. NorTech’s relationship with the Nano-Network provides the group with structure, contacts and resources to further promote nanotechnology in Ohio and the United States. www.nano-network.org
About Lerner Research Institute:
Lerner Research Institute is home to Cleveland Clinic’s laboratory-based, translational and clinical research. Its mission is to understand the causes of human diseases and to develop new treatments and cures. Total research funding was $244 million in 2007. About 1,200 people, including nearly 160 principal investigators, pursue research programs focused on cardiovascular, cancer, neurologic, musculoskeletal, allergic and immunologic, eye, metabolic, and infectious diseases. It is among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health among research institutes or independent hospitals. www.lerner.ccf.org
About Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine:
Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is the largest medical research institution in Ohio and 15th largest among the nation’s medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Eleven Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the school. The School of Medicine is recognized throughout the international medical community for outstanding achievements in teaching and in 2002, became the third medical school in history to receive a pre-eminent review from the national body responsible for accrediting the nation’s academic medical institutions. The School’s innovative and pioneering Western Reserve2 curriculum interweaves four themes-research and scholarship, clinical mastery, leadership, and civic professionalism-to prepare students for the practice of evidence-based medicine in the rapidly changing health care environment of the 21st century. http://casemed.case.edu/