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Biomedical Nanoscience

About Us

Vision

Our vision is to take a revolutionary approach toward human disease through the integration of nanoscale science and medicine in order to detect disease at the earliest time, to treat with the greatest specificity and to restore and regenerate function. The vision will be accomplished by developing and deploying devices, systems and materials at the nanoscale, by exploiting their unique advantages of size, physical properties and ability to interact with living tissue.

Mission

The mission of the USC Biomedical Nanoscience Initiative is to take a highly integrative, multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to three over-arching themes:

• To detect disease at the earliest possible time, prior to its ability to cause damage
• To deliver treatment at the right place and at the right time
• To re-establish tissue and organ function through innovative biotic and abiotic approaches

These themes will be attacked by multidisciplinary teams, which will develop nanoscale systems and materials, integrating them into the programmatic and clinical strengths of the biomedical community at USC.

News

Nov. 20, 2009. Biomedical Nanoscience Initiative Retreat Agenda At Descanso Gardens

Sept. 4, 2009. Biomedical Nanoscience Student Travel Grant Program

May 27, 2009. New device combines advances in synthetic antibody mimic proteins with advances in nanodesign USC researchers say they've made big improvement in a new breed of electronic detectors for viruses and other biological materials- one that may be a valuable addition to the battle against epidemics. It consists of a piece of synthetic antibody attached to a nanowire that's attached to an electrical base, sitting in liquid. If the protein the antibody binds-to is present in the liquid, it will bind to these antibodies, immediately creating a sharply measurable jump in current through a nanowire. The basic principle of nanotube and nanowire biosensors for protein detection was first demonstrated in 2001, but the new design by a team headed by Chongwu Zhou of the USC Viterbi school of Engineering and chemist mark Thompson of the USC College uses two new elements.

Dec. 3, 2008."Nano Initiative Rolls Threes," USC News.

Nov. 21, 2008. Biomedical Nanoscience Initiative Retreat Agenda At Descanso Gardens

Oct. 20, 2008. "When Medical Meets Engineering," A weekend research retreat explores potential collaborations between the Keck School and USC Viterbi.

March 31, 2008. "USC Hosts Nanoscience Research Conference," USC News.

Spring 2007."Little Big Science," USC Trojan Family Magazine.

Nov. 11, 2005. "USC Provost Unveils Biomedical Nanoscience Initiative," USC News.

Contact Information

Chair, Biomedical Nanoscience Initiative:

Mark Thompson
Professor of Chemistry
LJS 370
University of Southern California
Los Angeles CA 90089-0744
(213) 740-8549
met@usc.edu

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Last updated: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 4:15pm PDT