The World is Jealous of Israel, Says Nanotechnology Leader
Nanotechnology's most practical use could be in medicine, according to Koriat. Very soon, he said, a pill could be introduced which would use nanites to find and eliminate cancer cells from within the body - without harming the body's own cells, as in chemotherapy. Another idea is to grow plants spliced with genes from a host person, he said, which would provide a "stem cell bank" for organs as well as serve other regenerative purposes.
Defense could also use a technology boost, Koriat noted. A vest is currently in development that has the same strength and bulletproof properties as Kevlar, but is several times lighter. The vest would allow soldiers and security officials to move much more freely during anti-terrorism operations.
Israel is at the forefront of the nanotechnology field, he stated, and is the top researcher of nanotechnology in academia. Over 650 faculty members are engaged in the field, as well as 1,200 graduate students. Two hundred companies work with nanotechnology, 800 patents have been filed, and more than 700 articles have been published on the subject - all despite Israel's small size.
"The world is jealous of us," Koriat stated. He is convinced the current conference in Tel Aviv will springboard for numerous inventions seeking investors and industrial enterprises that are looking for Israeli innovation.
Shimon Cohen and Tova Dvorin