EU support for nanotech research for health New developments in nanotechnology that could lead to innovative solutions for health and healthcare in Europe were presented at the EuroNanoForum 2005 conference. Health © Thinkstock The EuroNanoForum conferences are a new series of meetings that aim to promote nanotechnology research development and its potential applications in medicine. The 2005 conference was titled 'Nanotechnology and the Health of the EU Citizen in 2020' and was held from 5–9 September 2005 in Edinburgh. The EU, through the 'EuroNanoForum2005 - Nanotechnology and the health of the EU citizen in 2020' (ENF2005) specific support action (SSA), funded the five-day EuroNanoForum 2005 conference. Built on the success of its 2002 predecessor, the 2005 meeting format was a combination of workshops on demand, public debate, forums and conference showing the state of the art. Workshops on demand dealt with topics proposed by relevant organisations and groups. The potential benefits of nanomedicine were described in a public debate chaired by Susan Watts, a science editor of BBC Newsnight. There was a panel of four experts from multiple disciplines who briefly presented the potential in their field followed by questions from the floor. The overall aim was to illustrate how nanomedicine is portrayed in the press and to answer scientific questions on particular technologies. Oral and poster presentations were given on nanotechnology-related science and how it could be beneficial for citizens by the year 2020. Overall, EuroNanoForum 2005 demonstrated the potential of nanotechnologies to address healthcare issues relating to the demands of an ageing population, early diagnosis, and potential cures of cancer, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases.
