Engineering a change in cancer diagnosis and therapy through nanotechnology

The Office of Cancer Nanotechnology Research is the centerpiece of nanotechnology funding leadership at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Its funding portfolio consists of premier academic institutions that engineer state of the art particles and devices to transform cancer diagnosis and treatment. Beyond its research centers, this Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer also funds transdisciplinary training programs for students and early career scientists and engineers. Another essential component of the Alliance is the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory where the standard protocols of preclinical analysis for newly derived nanoparticles are developed and performed. The guiding mission of the Alliance is to reach beyond basic research and development toward clinical testing as well as product commercialization. At the conclusion of the first Phase of the Alliance that spanned 2005–2010, several hundred patent disclosures had been filed and dozens of industrial partnerships and spin off companies had been formed. Now as the second Phase begins the OCNR and the Alliance look forward to improve on their successful record of technological innovation and developing commercial entities. Beyond the Alliance, the NIH provides funding opportunities for a vast array of research topics that can be applied to health nanotechnologies, many of which can be applied to an electrical engineering audience.