Nanobiotechnology, the manipulation of extremely small particles
of matter, holds big promise for North Carolina and for the
world. It’s a sector of research and business capitalizing on a
wide range of applications made possible because particles at
such small sizes exhibit unusual, often useful properties. A
stack of about 100,000 “nanoparticles” equals the thickness of a
piece of paper. Scientists can form them into shapes that
perform specific functions — like hollow beads that transport
therapeutic molecules through the bloodstream and deposit them
where they’re most effective at fighting cancer or infection.
|Analyzer. Courtesy of Advance Liquid Logic| Big Business Starts
with Tiny Particles Advance Liquid Logic, a Research Triangle
Park firm spun out of Duke University with the help of a
Biotechnology Center loan, uses nano-sized droplets of blood for
high-speed diagnostic tests. It’s called “lab-on-a-chip”
technology, because it shrinks big jobs into miniscule spaces.
Advance Liquid Logic is one of so