Nanomedicine - European Science Foundation

7
Executive summary
Background
Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented
growth in research in the area of nanoscience. There
is increasing optimism that nanotechnology applied
to medicine will bring significant advances in the
diagnosis treatment and prevention of disease.
However, many challenges must be overcome if the
application of Nanomedicine is to realise the
improved understanding of the pathophysiological
basis of disease, bring more sophisticated diagnostic
opportunities, and yield more effective therapies and
preventive measures.
Both the optimism and the challenges have
prompted governmental, science and funding organisations
to undertake strategic reviews of the current
status of the field, their primary objectives being to
assess potential opportunities for better healthcare
as well as to assess the risk-benefit of these new
technologies, and determine priorities for future
funding. The outcome of the European Science
Foundation’s Forward Look on Nanomedicine is
presented here.
Objectives
In 2003 the Medical Standing Committee of ESF
(EMRC) initiated the European Science Foundation’s
Forward Look on Nanomedicine. The aims of
this study were to gather European experts from
academia and industry to:
• Define the field
• Discuss the future impact of Nanomedicine on
healthcare practice and society
• Review the current state-of-the-art of Nanomedicines
research
• Identify Europe’s strengths and weaknesses
• Deliver recommendations on:
– future research trends and priorities for funding
– organisational and research infrastructures needed
at the national and European levels to support coordinated
scientific activities
– the mechanisms needed to facilitate effective
dissemination of information to the general public
and policy makers.
Procedure
The ESF Forward Look on Nanomedicine was
conducted through a Steering Committee which
initially organised a series of five specialised workshops
held from 1 to 5 March 2004. These workshops
involved small groups of experts from
academia and industry representing the different subdisciplines
of the Nanomedicine field. Each group
was invited to review the issues listed above, and to
prepare draft recommendations in their area of
specific expertise (participants are listed in Appendix
I).
A final Consensus Conference was held at Le
Bischenberg, France from 8 to 10 November 2004.
The meeting was attended by more than 70 representatives
coming from academia, industry, private
foundations, and governmental agencies supporting
scientific research. Collectively they were able to
review and revise the outputs from the earlier discipline-specific
workshops, paying special attention
to the boundaries within this multidisciplinary
scientific field. Moreover the Consensus Conference
was able to review the underpinning topics of
Science Funding and Policy Making, Commercial
Exploitation, Education, and Communication.
Participants are listed in Appendix II.
Definitions
The field of ‘Nanomedicine’ is the science and
technology of diagnosing, treating and preventing
disease and traumatic injury, of relieving pain, and
of preserving and improving human health, using
molecular tools and molecular knowledge of the
human body. It was perceived as embracing five
main sub-disciplines that in many ways are overlapping
and underpinned by the following common
technical issues
• Analytical Tools
• Nanoimaging
• Nanomaterials and Nanodevices
• Novel Therapeutics and Drug Delivery Systems
• Clinical, Regulatory and Toxicological Issues