Impossible is not in Here (4th Nano Today Conference)

Organized by Elsevier, the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, and the journal Nano Today, the 4th Nano Today Conference seeks to bring together researchers interested in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This conference was took place in JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, UAE. This international conference presented the latest research at the multidisciplinary frontier of nanostructured materials and devices. Just same as Meme which I saw in Dubai “Nothing is imposible in Dubai”, this conference is kind remainder to the young scientist again that “Impossible is not in the Science” when we could think outside the box and don’t create our discipline become the box’s wall its self.

Organizing Comitee of the 2015 Nano Today

In the 4 days of conference, the plenary lectures have delivered by three leading experts: Professor Paras N. Prasad (State University of New York), Professor Kam Leong (Columbia University) and Professor Peidong Yang (University of California, Berkeley who is also the recipient of the Nano Today 2015 Award for his pioneering work on nanowire synthesis and energy applications.

Fusion of nanotechnology with fundamental sciences, engineering, and medicine has created the new research field of nanomedicine, which provides a global vision to produce breakthrough approaches for meeting our healthcare challenges such as cancer, neurological disorder, infectious diseases, age related diseases, addiction, chronic pain, depression and obesity. It employs nanochemistry to specifically engineer nanoplatforms for carrying various payloads for new, minimally invasive diagnosis, targeted delivery of therapeutics, enhanced efficacy of existing treatments, and real-time monitoring of disease treatment. It is an excellent example of how yesterday's fiction (1966 fiction "Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov”), transforms into today's reality (2002 patented “nanoclinics”). In this nanoclinic, Prof. Prasad revolutionary technology involving the use of nanoparticles as carriers for on-site cancer diagnosis and needed therapy, was licensed by a France based company, Nanobiotix which is now a publically trading company worth more than 300 million dollars.

Winner of the 2015 Nano Today Award Professor Peidong Yang from University of California

Another exciting application of nanomaterials and nanotechnology are for bioengineering of direct cellular reprogramming which was presented by Prof. Kam Leong. Here they discuss the effort on optimizing the biochemical and physical cues to enhance neuronal trans differentiation. In particular, they mostly highlighted the role of topographical substrates in modulating the purity, conversion kinetics, and subtypes of the induced neurons generated by direct reprogramming. The most exciting part was the speaker throw up a thought provoking revolutionary concepts of rejuvenation therapy that may allow a human to live for 1,000 years or more, and of human-machine interfacing using magneto-optic nanocomposites. Biodiagnostics were also other exciting topics from this session. The engineer of nanomaterials, the bioconjugation, instrumental, come along together to achive great function of the materials in purpose of diagnostics.

As the world faces a major challenge in sustainably meeting future energy needs, nanotechnology will provide new approaches for solar energy conversion, hydrogen energy, biofuels, oil and gas recovery and utilization, and energy storage. For solar energy conversion, mostly they were developing new nanomaterial-based approaches for efficient harvesting of solar photons over the entire solar spectrum and their efficient conversion to electrical energy. Their emphasis is to enhance ultraviolet photon utilization, as well as to harvest IR photons that are unutilized currently. Another area of their research on the energy conversion and storage using nanomaterials is in hydrogen energy. Recently, the Nanotoday 2015 Award winner, Prof Peidong, have developed a fully integrated system of nanoscale photoelectrodes assembled from inorganic nanowires for direct solar water splitting. Similar to the photosynthetic system in a chloroplast, the artificial photosynthetic system comprises two semiconductor light absorbers with large surface area, an interfacial layer for charge transport, and spatially separated cocatalysts to facilitate the water reduction and oxidation. The result demonstrates the possibility of integrating material components into a functional system that mimics the nanoscopic integration in chloroplasts.

Winners of the Student Travel Awards and Best Poster Award with Conference Chair

The poster exhibition part was always the most exciting program from this conference. This session bring together the scientist to know closer about each other research. More than that, we have chance discussed the problems and issues in each other research, built the partnership, and made a new friend were valuable experience which I got from the poster session. Moreover, thanks to the NanoToday conference give me opportunities to achieved “NanoToday Student Travel Awards (equivalent 400 USD)” and present my work in oral presentation session which title ”Construction Sole Fluorophore (Dual-Emissive Mn2+-doped Quantum Dot)for Ratiometric Intracellular pH Sensing”.

Last but not the least; not only provided the great science forum, this Nanotoday give the attendance chance to closely taste of the most exotic Arabian experience. Here, we have enjoyed an afternoon dune drive in the desert, enjoyed the stunning Sunset with some champagne in hand and more entertainmen, and closed with 1001 Arabian Nights Private Dinner.