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The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) published on March 11, 2015, its supplement to the President’s 2016 budget submitted to Congress.  NNI states that the supplement serves as the NNI annual report.  According to the annual report, in 2014, federal agencies invested $1.57 billion in nanotechnology-related activities.  The President’s 2016 request calls for an investment of $1.50 billion, which the report states “affirm[s] the Administration’s continuing commitment to a robust U.S. nanotechnology effort.”  Almost half of the budget request is focused on applied research and development (R&D) and support for the Nanotechnology Signature Initiatives (NSI), “reflecting an increased emphasis within the NNI on commercialization and technology transfer.”  The NSIs are multiagency initiatives intended to focus on technology areas of national importance that may be more rapidly advanced through enhanced interagency coordination and collaboration.…

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The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) published on March 12, 2015, the proceedings of a September 15, 2014, meeting on “Realizing the Promise of Carbon Nanotubes: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Pathway to Commercialization,” held at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters.  According to NNI, a number of common themes and potential future research and…

 The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announced on December 5, 2014, that, in collaboration with the European Commission (EC), it will hold the 2015 “EU-U.S.:  Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts” joint workshop on March 12-13, 2015, in Venice, Italy.  According to NNCO, the workshop will bring together the U.S.-European Union (EU) Communities of…

 On November 24, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has released a report that details the pathway to commercializing affordable, renewable, and biodegradable cellulose nanomaterials from trees.  The report, entitled Cellulose Nanomaterials — A Path Towards Commercialization, is the result of a May 2014 workshop that…

On October 6, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) entitled “Chemical Substances When Manufactured or Processed as Nanoscale Materials; TSCA Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements.” The Regulatory Agenda item linked to the proposed rule states that EPA is developing a significant new use rule…

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., is pleased to announce that Managing Partner Lynn L. Bergeson and the late Michael F. Cole prepared a chapter in a new book, Biointeractions of Nanomaterials, which covers a wide range of issues associated with the safety of nanomaterials in biological systems. The book, published on July 29, 2014, by CRC Press, addresses issues related to the toxicity and safety of nanomaterials and nanosystems, and covers a range of interactions in biological systems, specifically focusing on the tools and methods used for evaluation, including in vivo and in vitro techniques.…

Continue Reading Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. Contributes Chapter to Biointeractions of Nanomaterials

On July 29, 2014, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing on “Nanotechnology:  Understanding How Small Solutions Drive Big Innovation.” Witnesses included:

  • James M. Tour, Ph.D., T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice

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On July 29, 2014, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Economic Council (NEC) published a Federal Register notice requesting public comments to provide input for an upcoming update of the Strategy for American Innovation. According to the notice, the Strategy “helps to guide the Administration’s efforts to promote lasting economic…

On July 31, 2014, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) will hold a public webinar to provide a forum to answer questions related to the federal government’s “Progress Review on the Coordinated Implementation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative 2011 Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy.” According to the July 22, 2014, Federal Register notice…

On July 15, 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) posted the July 2014 Report of the OECD Expert Meeting on the Physical Chemical Properties of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Test Guidelines. The Report presents the discussion and recommendations from the February 28-March 1, 2013, workshop on “Physico-chemical Properties of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Test Guidelines.” OECD notes that the workshop was organized “in close collaboration with the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee on Nanotechnologies (ISO/TC 229),” which “provided an important dimension for the analysis of the physical-chemical properties of manufactured nanomaterials.” The discussion focused on selected endpoints and those existing OECD Test Guidelines and other methods and protocols that are being used to address them. The categories of endpoints selected included:

  1. State of Dispersion, Aggregation and Agglomeration of Nanomaterials;
  2. Size (and Size Distribution) of Nanoparticles;
  3. Surface Area and Porosity; and
  4. Surface Reactivity.

Four breakout groups were formed with the task to address the following questions:

  • Identify the relevance of these endpoints as additions to conventional physical-chemical characterization; and if relevant, outline possible methods (i.e., new OECD Test Guidelines) based on the outcomes of the OECD Testing Program and other sources of information;
  • Identify whether there is a need for specific guidance documents for testing and assessment of the physical-chemical properties of nanomaterials or adaptation of existing OECD Guidance Documents;
  • Discuss whether specific sections should be developed for the “Guidance on Sample Preparation and Dosimetry” (GSPD) on the basis of the experiences obtained in the Testing Program and other new developments in the area of testing and assessment of physical-chemical properties; and
  • Identify whether specific endpoints and/or OECD Test Guidelines are relevant to different categories of nanomaterials.

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