Bionanoscience encompasses the interaction of nanoscale and nanostructured materials with living matter, and is enabled by the knowledge and infrastructure utilised for both nanoscience and biological research. Indeed, this synergy between biology and nanoscience is an important driver behind the projected global growth of the pharmaceutical, ICT and medical device sectors. It is clear that future medicine and diagnostics will rely on bionanoscience, leading to new opportunities for industries spanning Biopharma, Bio-ICT, Food, and others. Ireland is primed to play a lead role in these developments. As with every emerging technology, an assessment of environmental, health and safety (EHS) impacts is also imperative. For Ireland to be a stakeholder in the next generation of such technologies the existing activities in bioscience must be integrated in a cohesive framework that is closely allied to core nanoscience.

PRTLI4 funding will enable INSPIRE to accelerate progress towards the following bionanoscience research goals:

1. Development of an integrated understanding of how engineered nano-scale features and objects interact with living matter (including agreed standards and protocols for study of such nanomaterial-cell interactions)
2. Increased understanding of how these interactions can be exploited technologically in medicine (nanomedicine, nanodiagnostics and biopharma), functional foods and biotechnology, toxicology, health and safety issues (nanotoxicology)

Irish researchers already assume international leadership roles in aspects of this emerging topic, and are distinguished by their existing high level of integration. UCD, CRANN and TYNDALL are collaborators in an international research consortium funded through a EU FP6 programme (NanoInteract). TYNDALL has an outstanding profile in nanobiotechnology (Nano2Life) and has particular strengths in nanodiagnostics (e.g. SNiP2CHIP) and cell-screening (e.g.ToxiChip) where it is leading several major FP6 programs. LightHOUSE works closely with the medical device industry developing accessible, reliable laser-based tools to create biomimetic surfaces. MSSI is investigating bionanocomposites for application in tissue engineering and bone reconstruction. Studies of the toxicological impacts of nanomaterials are being made in FOCAS. There is significant potential for bionanoscience to translate advances in nanostructured surfaces and devices (from the nanoelectronics and nanophotonics research domains) into applications in bioanalysis and biomaterials, and for nanoscience to contribute to new drug delivery, and diagnostics devices.

The achievement of this potential requires integration of the existing Irish bionanoscience research activity. Crucially it also requires both the transformation of core nanoscience methodologies for synthesis and characterisation (currently residing mainly in CRANN, FOCAS, LIGHTHOUSE, TYNDALL, MSSI), and major adaptations of the core technologies of biology (CRANN, UCD) for application in bionanoscience. The present proposal will achieve these outcomes via shared capabilities and resources.

The immediate focus of the strand is:

• To lay out the activities required within the field of NanoBio, progress towards understanding the interaction of engineered nano-scale features and objects with living matter.
• Expand to an All-Ireland level. Real Collaboration on a National scale is an imperative.
• Sharing of expertise local to an institute to all strand members
• The exchange of students and of postdoctoral researchers, depending on the nature of the project

On a longer term:

• It is an aspiration that an annual All Ireland NanoBio conference be established within the next two years