Project coordinator Gürer Budak said the center is a cooperative effort by faculty and industry to develop nanotechnology to enable innovative medical applications at the university to benefit society.

"We will be able to collaborate with the nanotechnology research center at Bilkent University and the highly developed laboratories of the medical sector. Plus we'll use the contributions of Turkish experts who are working at universities outside Turkey, therefore reversing the brain drain," said Budak, in reference to the new center to be established at the Gölbaşı campus.

Deemed the foundation technology of the 21st century, nanotechnology is the creation of functional materials and systems by using the control of matter on the nanometer level, which is a billionth of a meter. Nanostructures can be used to remove toxins and unwanted drugs and to diagnose conditions such as stroke and brain injury. Nanotechnology can also be utilized in the delivery of drugs and DNA to specific cells, including cancers, Budak said. Development of nanoscience for medical diagnostics and therapeutics will also lead to the manufacture of new medical products, making new areas of employment possible, he added.

Budak, a member of the European Union Nanomedical Technologies Platform, added that Turkey's nanomedical advances will also be important for its integration process in the EU. Turkey could engage in scientific cooperation with different countries through the platform and could also benefit from the EU's research funds for advancing its nanomedical studies, Budak said.


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Güncelleme Tarihi: 01 Kasım 2007, 12:55