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Wednesday, 24th June 2009 (915 views)

A nanotechnology scientist who uses gold in his attempts to develop disease detectors has been awarded a $500,000 (£304,000) prize.

Professor Chad Mirkin, who is the director of Northwestern University's International Institute for Nanotechnology in the US, has been given the Lemelson-MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) award for making "revolutionary advancements" in the sector.

He has previously employed nanostructures made from the precious metal in research into ways of detecting diseases such as Alzheimer's and he has also founded a company - Aurasense - which focuses on the use of nanotechnology in the areas of oncology and heart disease.

Mr Mirkin is to be presented with the award at the three-day EurekaFest event, which begins at MIT tomorrow (June 25th).

Earlier this year scientists at the University of Leicester in the UK were awarded a £321,000 grant to enable them to continue investigating the uses of nanotechnology to tackle prostate cancer.

 

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