NanoSolutions interview – Andreas Falk, CEO at BioNanoNet Forschungsgesellschaft

NanoSolutions, the research project that aims to identify and elaborate characteristics of ENM (Engineered Nanomaterials) that determine their biological hazard potential. This potential includes the ability of ENM to induce damage at the cellular, tissue, or organism levels by interacting with cellular structures leading to impairment of key cellular functions.

 

Andreas Falk is on the international advisory board for NANOSOLUTIONS. Here he spoke to William Davis at the Systems Biology Conference in Stockholm about the importance of disseminating the findings of nanosafety projects beyond the world of research.

 

Click here to listen to the interview.

 

“The use of nanotechnology is not new, but people in society do not know a lot about it. NANSOLUTIONS has a lot of know how which needs to be transferred to a broader audience so people can understand the benefits and the risks of nanotechnology.

 

“People receive the benefits of nanoparticles, such as the reduction of side effects in cancer therapy, but often they do not realise. If knowledge can be risen to a higher level, people will on the one hand be more critical, but they will also see which things can be made better by this technology.

 

“It’s important to have a balanced dialogue. I don’t want anyone to say there are no risks – there is always a risk/benefit ratio. We need to make people aware about what is possible, but also that safety is being looked at. There is a need for large investment in nanosafety so that we can all benefit from nanotechnology in the public domain.

 

“NANOSOLUTIONS has been successful so far in creating some eye-catching materials about their work. But there is still a way to go in terms of reaching out to people beyond the field of research.”