On September 6 2006, biochemist Eric Jakobsson, Director of the National Center for Design of Biomimetic Nanoconductors, gave a brief introduction and led a discussion on “From Plastics to Nanoscience: the second chemical revolution”.
Professor Jakobsson’s research centers on the ion channels within cell membranes. Ion channels serve several functions, including the generation of electrical power, electrical and electro-chemical signalling, generation of osmotic pressure and flow, and as energy transducers. It is hoped that a greater understanding of these ion channels will lead to the development of nanoconductors to mimic the functionality of their biological counterparts.
Dr Jakobsson has degrees in chemical engineering and physics and was named a fellow of the American Physical Society for his work on ion and water permeability of cell membranes. From 2003 until 2005, he served as director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at NIH, a center that supports research and training in areas that join biology with the computer sciences, engineering, mathematics and physics. He also served as chair of the Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative at NIH.
His proudest accomplishment is being a grandfather.
The National Center for Biomimetic Nanoconductors was founded as part of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) Nanomedicine initiative. Nanomedicine, an offshoot of nanotechnology, refers to medical intervention at the molecular scale for curing disease or repairing damaged tissues, such as bone, muscle, or nerve.
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