NanoViricide

Pesticides, it seems, is part of our everyday lives as we try to kill that buzzing mosquito in the corner of the room. However, it is also a technology that has been able to increase crop yield and feed millions of people by eliminating insects that eat or infect crops. Similarly, Nanoviricide is a company that is trying to create the equivalent result against viruses.

To understand their technology, it is important to first understand the structure of a virus. As seen in the diagram to the right, a virus is primarily made up of three components: The Genetic Material, the Membrane Envelope, and the Ligands. The first of these three is stored on the inside of the virus. Once the virus attaches to the cell, the DNA or RNA enters the cell and eventually takes over the cell's machinery. Thereafter, instead of producing normal proteins needed for cell function, the cell produces copies of the virus until the cell no longer has enough nutrients to live and dies. The second of these, the membrane, protects the genetic information when the virus is not in a cell. The last is what NanoViricide attempts to take advantage of:

Simply put, the ligands on the virus are made such that they bind with the surface of the cell. NanoViricide thus creates a delivery capsule that mimics the virus's corresponding ligand, causing the virus to attach to the NanoViricide. Once this is done, the Virus can be easily killed.

The company has used its technology to help fight viruses such as HIV, Influenza and Bird Flu and shows an important use of nanotechnology in medicine.
To learn more about NanoViricide, click here!
To learn about the entry of the virus into the cell, click here!

Northwestern's induction into the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Through all its benefits, the community at large is making sure that new innovations through nanotechnology do not hurt the environment. To this extent, the NSF provides $20 million (renewable) to centers of research that research the effect of nanotechnologies. The funding is provided to the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, who very recently has inducted Northwestern University into its group of institutions.

Some of the big questions they're asking include:

How is this going to impact bacteria and other organisms in the environment?

What do these particles do?

How do they interact with organisms?”

The goal is to create nanotechnologies that will not hurt the environment in the first place so that later recalls due to environmental hazards won't be necessary. To this end, there is both an environmental and an economic motivation to ensure that we have the knowledge on the impacts of nanotechnologies. It is part of a movement for our society's businesses and corporations to be more environmentally friendly.

To read more about Northwestern's induction into the society, click here!
To read more about the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, click here!