From: Xiaoguang Li (xli03@emory.edu)
Date: Fri Apr 07 2000 - 20:54:49 MDT
NASA AND NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE JOIN TO DEVELOP NANO-EXPLORERS FOR THE
HUMAN BODY: To treat symptoms of the common cold, most people take a gel
capsule containing hundreds of granular pieces of medicine as a remedy for
coughing, sneezing and a runny nose. Now, imagine ingesting a capsule of
similar size, containing microscopic sensors to detect, diagnose and treat
disease inside the human body. It sounds like science fiction. However,
NASA, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is working
to turn this vision into "science fact." To mark the unique partnership,
NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Director Dr. Richard Klausner will sign a Memorandum of Understanding to
develop new biomedical technologies that can detect, diagnose and treat
disease here on Earth and in space. The joint collaboration comes as NASA
and NCI each move forward with historic initiatives requiring major advances
in available technology. NCI is attempting to define cancer for the first
time based on the unique molecular characteristics of tumors. NASA is
seeking to develop a new form of patient care -- "microscopic explorers"
-- that would travel through the human body looking for disease.
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