UCLA, partners establish new center on environmental effects of nano...( UCLA and 12 collaborating institutio...)

UCLA and 12 collaborating institutions have been awarded $24 million in federal funding to establish the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN), which will help researchers design safer and more environmentally benign nanomaterials.

The center, to be housed at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) on the UCLA campus, will explore the impact of nanomaterials on life forms and the interactions of these materials with various biological systems and ecosystems. Funding was awarded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency following a highly competitive application and review process.

With the rapid development of nanotechnology and its applications, a wide variety of nanomaterials are now used in clothing, electronic devices, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals and other biomedical products. The potential interactions of nanomaterials with living systems and the environment have attracted increasing attention from the public, as well as from manufacturers of nanomaterial-based products, academic researchers and policymakers. Nanotechnology is expected to become a $1 trillion industry within the next decade.

"UCLA and its partners are blazing the way to a brighter future through discoveries in nanotechnology that enhance our quality of life," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said. "UCLA's selection as the headquarters of the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology cements the campus's position as a leader in this critical emerging field and helps to ensure the introduction of often breathtaking nanotechnology in a manner consistent with our social and environmental values."

"We are deeply committed to ensuring that nanotechnology is introduced and implemented in a responsible and environmentally compatible manner," said Dr. Andr E. Nel, chief of the division of nanomedicine at UCLA, who will serve
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