Monthly Archives: February 2021

Figure 1:

Custom Canadian Vita LumaChrome Colour-shifting Authentication Label

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nanotech Security Corp. (TSXV: NTS) (OTCQX: NTSFF) (Nanotech or the Company), a leader in the development of secure and memorable nano-optic security features used in the government and banknote and brand protection markets, has won new brand protection business with Canadian Vita Corp., Canada's leading ginseng supplier. Nanotech will supply custom LumaChrome colour-shifting labels with printed logos and trackable serial numbers for Canadian Vitas ginseng products. Financial terms have not been publicly disclosed.

Counterfeit ginseng products are a major industry problem that can be very harmful to consumers, said Canadian Vita CEO Hieu Tran. LumaChrome labels will help us fight counterfeit products and ensure our Canadian Vita brand remains as a reliable source of safe, premium ginseng products. The labels will confirm Canadian Vita products are authentic and meet quality standards. This collaboration with Nanotech is a major milestone as it has helped Canadian Vita set higher standards in the ginseng industry.

LumaChrome and our other anti-counterfeiting solutions enable companies like Canadian Vita to secure their products and extend brand awareness through their entire supply chain, said President and CEO Troy Bullock. This consumer-packaged goods win continues to validate our strategy of developing a portfolio of products to address the multi-billion-dollar problem of counterfeit consumer goods. We look forward to a long-running, successful partnership with Canadian Vita.

LumaChrome labels offer straightforward authentication through a crisp colour transition when the viewing angle is changed. It is intuitive to use and easy to recognize at a considerable distance, multiple angles, and variable lighting conditions. These striking colour transitions are extremely difficult to simulate, requiring sophisticated production equipment and specialized knowledge in thin-film optics to produce, making it an ideal anti-counterfeit solution. Besides being proven technology used in the banknote industry for years, new LumaChrome formats easily integrate into track & trace, smart packaging, and brand protection applications.

For LumaChrome samples and pricing, contactinfo@nanosecurity.caorclick here.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9dceeb18-a568-482c-8986-4134dfa86e3d

About Canadian Vita

Canadian Vita is Canada's leading ginseng supplier. Their expertise in ginseng farming and processing has allowed them to craft high quality ginseng products. All products that reach customers have gone through stringent inspections from the harvesting to packing stages, to ensure only the best quality ginseng is distributed. With a vision to help empower lives by improving health through traditional herbal supplements, Canadian Vita continues to develop products that make the consumption of ginseng more enjoyable and efficient. With over 35 years of experience, their dedicated team of farmers and researchers exceed industry standards. For more information, visit https://canadianvita.com/.

About Nanotech

With billions of security features in circulation, Nanotechs products include secure and memorable security labels, stripes, patches, and colour-shifting foils for currency authentication and brand protection.

KolourOptikis a patented visual technology that is exclusive to the government and banknote market and combines sub-wavelength nanostructures and microstructures to create modern overt security features with a unique and customizable optical effect. KolourOptik pure plasmonic colour pixels produce full colour, 3D depth, and movement used in security stripes and threads that are nearly impossible to replicate.

LiveOptik is a patented visual technology that utilizes innovative nano-optics one tenth the size of traditional holographic structures to create next generation overt security features customized to our customers unique requirements. LiveOptik delivers multi-colour, 3D depth, movement, and image switches for secure brand protection stripes, threads, and labels that are nearly impossible to replicate.

Additional information about Nanotech can be found at the Companys website http://www.nanosecurity.ca, the Canadian disclosure filings website http://www.sedar.com or the OTCMarkets disclosure filings website http://www.otcmarkets.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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Nanotech Announces Brand Protection Win from Canadian Vita - GlobeNewswire

LONDON, Feb. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Nano Foundation and pandemic experts say regular use of inexpensive mass lateral flow rapid antigen test kits is the way to beat COVID-19, its variants and future viruses.

As vaccination quickens for vulnerable members of society, the next prize is to get the world's economies moving, with mass frequent testing as the key, using the mantra 'test to suppress', and as an early warning system to protect against new strains and future outbreaks.

These simple-to-manufacture rapid tests have shown a thousand-fold increase in the effectiveness and accuracy of testing with this technology. The kits can produce a positive result even when there are fewer antigens to the virus in the sample vital for finding asymptomatic individuals and 'super-spreaders'.

In what many believe was a game changer in preventing lockdowns across the world, in the UK, community and workplace lateral flow rapid test kits (LFTs) have been mobilised now for door-to-door delivery the UK government has secured more than 400 million of these kits for its "Test to Suppress" strategy as well as to address fears that the South African variant had broken out in areas of the country.

Many other countries and industries are now adopting this technology.

Innova Medical the world's largest manufacturer of rapid lateral flow antigen tests is ramping up to 50 million a day by the spring has also confirmed that its COVID-19 product is effective in detecting variant strains such as the British (Kent), South African, and Brazilian variants, which appear more contagious than the earlier strains.

"As these dangerous strains show signs of increased transmissibility across communities, the global effort to eliminate COVID-19 requires frequent, comprehensive and equitable testing that can detect these emerging strains," said Daniel Elliott, President and CEO of Innova Medical Group.

Elliot added that numerous studies have shown that rapid antigen tests are an important tool for identifying infectious people quickly and equitably, even when they may not have COVID-19 symptoms, in ways not possible with slower, more expensive, centralised lab-based tests.

He said the virus continues to morph its genetic ribonucleic acid (RNA) to generate new and potentially more contagious variants, but Innova's antigen test is effective because it looks for multiple proteins in the virus.

Workplace and community rapid mass testing is already starting to take place to keep economies moving and the entertainment and sports industries are said to be looking at a 'day pass' testing approach using LFT kits, in the same way that temperature checks were made on people using restaurants and pubs between lockdowns.

A trial is already under way in France using a music theatre to give day pass security so that people can start attending mass events again.

World Health Organisation Special Envoy on COVID-19, David Nabarro, had already suggested this approach:

"We've seen it (rapid mass testing) used in many different locations, for example in trying to keep aircraft free of people who've got COVID or looking after major events."

A UK Government initiative offering LFTs in workplaces - healthcare, education, and local authorities, with private companies such as Royal Mail, the DVLA and Tate & Lyle Sugars also adopting frequent rapid testing.

Globally renowned British doctors' journal, The Lancet, backed this approach after publishing an exhaustive study of quarantine and testing measures, and leading UK scientists and clinical experts have added their weight.

Oxford University researchers found the UK Government's most sensitive LFTs detected 83-90% of all infectious cases of COVID-19 and, with the UK investing more than 1.5bn in these test kits so far.

Oxford's Regius Professor of Medicine, Sir John Bell underlined the benefit of these tests removing infectious people from high-risk environments: "They've found 25,000 cases just in healthcare, which may have prevented tens of thousands of cases of the disease."

Tim Peto, Professor of Medicine, Infectious Disease, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, Oxford University addressed the contrasts between PCR (polymerase chain reaction) swab testing and lateral flow kits:

"PCR is very good at telling you've had the virus or got the virus, but it doesn't tell you whether you are infectious or not and the other problem about the swab test is that it takes a day or twoto get the answer back. The LFT has the enormous advantage of giving you an answer in about 30 minutes."

He said this allows immediate self-isolation and individuals can also quickly advise their contacts so, "within a few hours, a local outbreak can be detected. This can't be done with the swab (PCR) tests" adding that LFTs "detect people with high viral loadsthe very people who are infectious."

The World Nano Foundation (WNF) promotes healthcare technology and predicts that mass testing is central to future pandemic protection.

The not-for-profit organisation's Co-founder Paul Sheedy said: "Our research shows how healthcare diagnostics technology will shift dramatically to a more decentralised community early intervention model, against potential epidemics and pandemics.

"Our own COVIDlytics modelling shows that an intensive front line 'Test to Suppress' campaign using rapid test kits available to the individual will allow early detection and immediate isolation, reducing the need for lockdowns.

"And our simulation maps how consecutive daily tests for three days can rapidly identify and isolate infectious people. Weekly testing can then sustain a low infection rate even in a large population.

"A key point previously missed by some experts is that high quality rapid lateral flow tests are not for people who already think they have COVID-19; it's about everyone else testing frequently to check they are not infectious.

"Used alongside vaccines and other preventative methods, these simple tests have been developed from colloidal gold nanoparticle research and are a vital component in the battle to defeat the virus and it's future variants.

"Rapid community testing is simpler, faster, cheaper, more effective and mobilises everyone to help themselves, their relatives, friends, and colleagues, to keep everyone safe.

"As West Africa reeled under the impact of Ebola (2014-16) the world watched with bated breath to see if the 'beast' would go global, but frequent mass rapid testing was deployed at community level multiple times over a few weeks stopping that terrible disease in its tracks.

"With the work that we do, we know that there are even more exciting technologies on the way that will be central to the world's fight for pandemic protection and future healthcare.

"We have already seen the danger from not being on our guard against renewed viral threats. Spanish Flu struck in 1918, killing up to 50 million people in four waves, the last two being most deadly because public health warnings were not adhered to."

This means that there will be a revolution in healthcare in the coming years. Healthcare investment is forecast to grow at a rate of nearly 50% a year towards a market set to be worth $1.333 trillion by 2027*. The acceleration highlights wide recognition that the world cannot afford the human and economic cost of another pandemic.

One international investment platform is a Pandemic Protection alternative investment fund operated by Vector Innovation Fund in Luxembourg focused on limiting the effect of long form Covid-19, insulating the world against the impact of future pandemics, whilst minimising any impact on the global economy and healthcare provision and preparedness.

The Vector Innovation Fund is a Reserved Alternative Investment Fund (RAIF) specialising in support for technology companies able to transform global markets, notably in global healthcare, sustainability and longevity. These transformational technologies come from the nanotechnology, biotech, AI and machine learning, medical devices, therapies and digital health sectors.

The World Nano Foundation is a not-for-profit membership organisation with 75,000 subscribers and users in 40 countries working on international commercialisation of nanoscale technologies in 16 industry sectors and collaborates with a wide variety of partners, maximising support and funding bringing advanced technology to the world and commerce. This is supported by many industry and academic groups developing and creating a legacy for nanotechnology innovation.

SOURCE The World Nano Foundation

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Nanotech Powered Mass Testing Now the Key to Unlocking COVID-19 Lockdowns - PRNewswire

Researchers are also looking into using genetically modified salmonella bacteria to destroy tumours from the inside out where more traditional treatments, notably chemotherapy, cannot penetrate

Representational image. National Cancer Institute/Unsplash

More effective therapies, nanotechnology and even the prospect of vaccinating for certain tumours: battles may slowly be starting to turn in the never-ending war against cancer.

The second leading cause of death globally, cancer accounted for an estimated 9.6 million deaths, or one in six deaths, in 2018.

On World Cancer Day on Thursday, here is a look at some of the more promising developments in treating and preventing the disease.

Immunotherapy breakthroughs

Immunotherapy drugs, which prime the immune system to recognise and destroy cancerous cells, have shown huge promise against previously untreatable cancers over the last decade.

But they vary greatly among different forms of cancer and only work in around a quarter of all patients.

A main focus of research now centres on "increasing the percentage of patients that respond well to immunotherapy," according to Christophe Le Tourneau, director of clinical research at France's Curie Institute.

One promising avenue is the development of antibodies capable of recognising a specific protein found in cancerous cells, "which would help the body to destroy those cells," Axel Kahn, president of the League Against Cancer, told AFP.

He said research had shown that administering medication or toxins helped destroy cancer cells after antibodies discover them.

Research is also ongoing into immunotherapy after chemotherapy, with the initial treatment creating mutations in cancer cells that may render them easier for the immune system to spot and hunt down.

Another technique known as checkpoint inhibitor therapy has also shown promise.

When proteins contained within cancer cells bind with immune cells, they send an "off" signal to the rest of the immune system, disabling the body's natural defences.

Checkpoint inhibitor therapy essentially blocks this binding, allowing killer immune T-cells to seek and destroy the pathogen.

This technique has already significantly improved prognoses for some melanomas and lung cancers, and other trials are underway.

Such treatment may offer also hope to the 10-15 percent of breast cancer sufferers who receive a so-called "triple-negative" prognoses tumours that contain neither hormonal nor HER2 protein receptors.

HER2-positive breast cancer tends to grow more quickly than other forms but it is equally more treatable.

Triple-negative breast cancer is, however, "usually more aggressive (but) the treatment options available today are not sufficiently effective", according to the Arc Foundation cancer research centre near Paris.

One study with the drug durvalumab published this month in Nature Medicine showed that the antibody was somewhat effective at shutting off tumours' ability to evade the immune system.

'Vaccinate' for tumours?

Trials are also underway exploring the efficacy of certain candidate vaccines that can help treat tumours.

The French biotech firm Transgene is developing a treatment combining immunotherapy and a viral vector vaccine a modified virus that delivers anti-cancer instructions to the body.

A similar trial is underway to treat patients with cancer of the ear, nose or throat.

The Oncopole Toulouse cancer treatment centre, conducting the research, said the treatment acts as a kind of "facial recognition service" for the immune system to detect cancerous cells and learn how to destroy them similar to how some vaccines work.

Predicting effective treatment

Analysing the structure and, increasingly, the genetic make-up of cancer plays a major role not only in prognosis how likely it is that a patient will recover but also in what treatment options are available.

"It's really the main issue: it's not worth giving certain treatments to people who won't benefit from them and it's absolutely crucial that those who will benefit receive them, said Eric Solary, scientific director at the Arc Foundation.

A better understanding of certain mutations in cancer cells as well as how immune cells behave are helping doctors make ever-more accurate treatment choices.

Nanotechnology

Another area of growing interest is the possible use of nanocapsules microscopic coatings of metal or fat on existing drug molecules.

The idea according to Solary is to better distribute medicine around the patient's body by allowing it to "go directly into tumour cells and avoiding damaging normal cells".

In the same vein, researchers are also looking into using genetically modified salmonella bacteria to destroy tumours from the inside out where more traditional treatments, notably chemotherapy, cannot penetrate.

Original post:

World Cancer Day: From Immunotherapy, vaccines to nanotech, new treatments that show promise against disease - Firstpost

]]]]]]>]]]]>]]> Water Technology lists five of the latest water purification technologies. Image courtesy of People Image Studio/Shutterstock.

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Global water treatment product manufacturers are exploring state-of-the-art water filtration technologies such as carbon nanotubes and advanced membrane systems to better serve their customers.

Water Technology lists five of the latest water purification technologies that are likely to serve as alternatives to existing water purification processes.

Nanotechnology involves several approaches and processes of applying materials on the atomic or molecular scale. Nanotech-based water purification processes are considered to be modular, highly efficient and cost-effective when compared to conventional water purification methods.

The major applications of nanotechnology in water treatment processes include silver, copper and zero-valent iron (ZVI) nanoparticles, nanostructured photocatalysts, nano-membranes, and nanoadsorbents.

The large surface-to-volume ratio of nanoparticles enhances the adsorption of chemical and biological particles, while enabling the separation of contaminants at very low concentrations. Nanoadsorbents feature specific physical and chemical properties for the removal of metallic pollutants from water.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered to be one of the prominent nanomaterials used in water purification. CNT-based filtration systems can remove organic, inorganic and biological compounds from water.

Global companies such as Alfa Laval, Applied Membranes, DowDuPont, GEA Group, Inopor, and Koch Membrane Systems are involved in the development of membranes that are made of nanomaterials to eliminate pollutants during the treatment.

The acoustic nanotube technology was invented by scientists at Nasas Johnson Space Center. It employs acoustics in place of pressure to direct water through small-diameter carbon nanotubes.

The technology is based on an acoustically driven molecular screen integrated with carbon nanotubes that allow the passage of water molecules while blocking any larger molecules and contaminants. It consumes less power than traditional filtration systems and drives water away from contaminants instead of removing pollutants from water. The process also eliminates the need for flushing the filter system.

The primary applications of acoustic nanotube technology are municipal water plants, medical facilities, laboratories, distilleries, desalination plants, industrial facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and consumer segment. The innovation is scalable with the integration of multiple filters, according to the filtration needs of users.

Nasas patented acoustic nanotube technology is available for the firms to license and evolve into a commercial water purification product offering.

Water treatment using photocatalysis has gained prominence in recent years due to its efficiency in treating contaminated water. The technology utilises photocatalyst and ultraviolet (UV) rays to remove toxic substances from water.

Panasonic developed a technology that binds the photocatalyst (titanium dioxide) to a commercial adsorbent and a catalyst called zeolite, ensuring effective separation and recovery of photocatalysts from the water for reuse. Titanium dioxide can mineralise a range of organic compounds into safe end products. The catalyst uses UV radiation either from sunlight or artificial light to separate substances.

Photocatalysis can break down a range of organic materials, estrogens, pesticides, dyes, crude oil, and microbes such as viruses and chlorine-resistant pathogens, as well as inorganic compounds such as nitrous oxides.

Photocatalytic water treatment systems are suitable for use in water and wastewater treatment facilities and can treat industrial wastewater polluted with high loads of organic substances or metals.

Aquaporin Inside technology from Danish cleantech company Aquaporin is based on the bio-mimetic water treatment membrane design. Aquaporins enable quick and highly selective water transfer across the cell membrane. They allow the cell to regularise its volume and internal osmotic pressure in line with the hydrostatic and osmotic pressure differences.

The aquaporin channels distinct architecture allows the passage of water molecules and blocks all other compounds. The natural bio-mimetic membranes also serve as a basis for the development of artificial bio-mimetic membrane systems. The technology is being used in industrial and household water filtration and purification systems.

The Aquaporin Inside membranes are the only membranes in the market to employ aquaporins to purify drinking water. The membranes are available for both forward osmosis (FO) and reverse osmosis (RO) applications.

The Aquaporin Space Alliance (ASA), a joint venture between Aquaporin and Danish Aerospace Company (DAS) is commercialising the patented Aquaporin Inside technology in space applications and space programmes, in collaboration with European and US-based firms.

Automated Variable Filtration (AVF) technology involves a simple process where upward flow of influent is cleaned by downward flow of filter media. It eliminates the need for any additional process or freshwater for filter media cleaning.

The AVF method employs continuously cleaned descending bed filters embedded in a variable array. The two-stage configuration of the system integrates two sets of media filters that can function either in serial or parallel mode.

The process delivers water with quality equivalent to that of micro-filtration technology and at a fraction of the cost of low-pressure membranes. It features no moving parts and consumes less power, offerings savings on reduced operating and maintenance costs.

AVF systems are suitable for municipal drinking water and wastewater treatment, wastewater recycling and reuse, pre-filtration for membrane processes and desalination applications.

R2O Water Technologies, Process Research ORTECH (PRO), and Eureka Forbes are some of the major companies involved in the development of AVF technology-based products and services.

Read more here:

Latest water purification technologies - top five - Water Technology