Tennessee's nanotech effort figures to get a major boost with the opening of the $65-million Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the first of five U.S. Dept. of Energy nano research centers. CNMS will have three major scientific thrusts: Nano-dimensioned soft materials, complex nanophase materials systems and theory/modeling/simulation. A major focus of the CNMS will be to exploit ORNL's capabilities, such as the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source set to open in 2006. CNMS is currently operating in interim facilities. Alan Liby, ORNL's program manager, technology transfer and economic development, says much of the early research will be life sciences-related.
      Nanotek LLC is one of the first startups emerging at Oak Ridge. CEO Joe Matteo is currently his firm's only employee. Nanotek's niche will be to focus on high-speed chemistry for pharmaceutical and biotech markets. Nanotek, which has GlaxoSmithKline as a technology partner, specializes in microfluiditics, the development of tiny channels that allow fluid manipulation. This allows faster testing of potential new biopharmaceuticals.
      "There's broad potential for commercial applications," Matteo says. "It's a generic platform for high-speed chemistry. The target is the drug discovery world."