Building the Multidisciplinary Nanomedicine Team: a Case Study

Guangzhao MaoDepartment of Chemical Engineering

and Materials Science

Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine

• Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at the nanoscale, at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers.

• Nanomedicine is an offshoot of nanotechnology, which refers to highly specific medical interventions at the molecular scale for curing disease or repairing damaged tissues, such as bone, muscle, or nerve.

What is so special about the nanoscale?

• Scale at which quantum effects dominate properties of materials.

• Scale at which much of biology occurs.• Scale at which surfaces and interfaces play a large

role in materials properties and interactions.

http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/special

Multidisciplinary Nano Incubator Program

• The program has been funded by OVPR since 2010.• More than 20 faculty members from 4 colleges have

participated in the program.• The program has provided seed funding for team

projects with 2-4 faculty members in each project.• The funding has resulted in 6-8 new collaborative

research projects per year for 3 years.

Lessons Learned

• Matching medicine needs with nanotechnology solutions

• Matching personality and personal commitments

• Support network (Nano@Wayne seminars, nano symposiums, nano summer workshops, group meetings and joint retreats, etc.)