ARVO Launches Online 'Nanotechnology And Nanomedicine: Applications For Vision' Course

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 27 Dec 2005 - 2:00 PDT

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The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) has launched its first online course, "Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine: Applications for Vision." The course, presented at ARVO's 2005 Annual Meeting, is sponsored by a grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is available for viewing free of charge at http://www.arvo.org/nano.

This online course, organized by Drs. Paul Sieving and Richard Fisher of the NEI, features streaming video of the course speakers with their corresponding PowerPoint presentation slides. In addition, a transcript of the course is available online. The seven-presentation course runs approximately three hours. Each presentation can be viewed separately and ranges from seven to 35 minutes in length.

This online course introduces fundamental concepts, including changes in the properties of materials at the nanoscale, and the potential of nanotechnology and its application to biomedical sciences. The underlying physical sciences, conveyed by renowned experts in nanoscience, are emphasized and the course includes examples of NEI-funded studies of either applied or fundamental nanoscience in vision research.

The course's speakers are Mark Grinstaff, Boston University; Milan Mrksich, University of Chicago; Chris Murphy, University of Wisconsin; Mark Ratner, Northwestern University; Paul Sieving, National Eye Institute; Samuel Stupp, Northwestern University; and Karen Wooley, Washington University. Nanotechnology is a broad scientific field that involves the creation and use of materials and devices at the level of molecules and atoms.

Nanomedicine is an emerging field that is expected to yield highly specific medical treatments for damaged or diseased tissue at the level of single molecules or molecular assemblies within living cells, i.e., at the "nano" scale of about 100 nm or less.

Dr. Sieving, director of the NEI, said, "This course provides an excellent introduction to the scientific basis of nanotechnology and nanomedicine and conveys a sense of the exciting potential of these new fields for preventing disease and improving health."

Established in 1928, ARVO is a membership organization of more than 11,300 eye and vision researchers from over 70 countries. The Association encourages and assists its members and others in research, training, publication, and dissemination of knowledge in vision and ophthalmology. ARVO's headquarters are located in Rockville, Md. For more information about ARVO, logon to the Association's Web site, http://www.arvo.org.

The National Eye Institute (NEI) conducts and supports research that leads to sight-saving treatments and plays a key role in reducing visual impairment and blindness. The NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, logon to http://www.nei.nih.gov.