COLUMBUS -- Researchers may one day use nanotechnology to combat the most widespread and deadly diseases -- including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes -- according to research to be presented next week at Ohio State University.

From September 23 through 26, researchers will gather at the Hyatt Regency Columbus for BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology World 2000, the ground-breaking meeting to chart the frontiers of microtechnology and nanotechnology and reveal the potential these technologies hold for changing the face of medicine.

During the more than 70 presentations, some researchers will discuss their efforts to build biomedical microelectromechanical systems, or bioMEMS -- tiny working machines so small, they measure only a few millionths of a meter across -- smaller than the width of a human hair. Others will discuss even smaller technology, measured in billionths of a meter -- smaller than a single cell.

"One day this research may lead to tiny devices that enter the human body to do the work surgery and medication do today," said meeting host Mauro Ferrari, Director of the Biomedical Engineering Center, and Associate Director of the Heart and Lung Institute at Ohio State.

During the meeting, Ferrari, who is also a Professor of Internal Medicine, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science at Ohio State, will announce the founding of the first worldwide scientific association dedicated to advancing research in bioMEMS and biomedical nanotechnology.

Ferrari's own research centers on the development of microscopic capsules for dispensing medicine to treat diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

One notable highlight of the meeting will be a discussion of Ferrari's collaboration with Robert Michler, Professor and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Co-Director of the Heart and Lung Institute at Ohio State. The two want to combine Ferrari's development of microscopic computer chips and other devices with Michler's pioneering work in the field of robotic surgery.

"In coronary bypass surgery, we can attempt to restore blood flow to the heart, but we have no way of assessing the benefit of our work directly while we're in the operating room," said Michler.

He explained that a tiny computer chip implanted in the heart during bypass surgery could monitor blood flow to the heart, both during an operation and long after -- a development that would "take heart disease treatment to the next level."

Other highlights of the conference:

· Michler and his colleagues will detail future medical applications for bioMEMS and nanotechnology in a plenary session entitled, "A Clinical Perspective." Other presenters include: Michael Caligiuri, Associate Director of Clinical Research at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State, who will discuss the applications for cancer diagnosis and treatment; Constantino Benedetti, Chief of Pain Management and Palliative Care at Ohio State, who will discuss pain management; and Pascal Goldschmidt, Chief of Cardiology at Duke University, who will discuss heart disease diagnosis and treatment.

· In a hands-on experiment display, attendees in Columbus will have the chance to manipulate molecules in a laboratory at the University of North Carolina. A touch-feedback system will guide users as they nudge molecules with a microscopic probe by remote control over an Internet II connection.

· The sting of a hypodermic needle may become a thing of the past, if work at the Georgia Institute of Technology bears fruit. Researchers led by Mark Prausnitz, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, are developing a medical patch coated with millions of needles so small that, as they inject medication, patients won't feel a thing.

These and many other cutting-edge technologies will punctuate the conference, along with an art exhibition featuring the work of noted Italian painter Bruno d'Arcevia, who takes the inspiration for his grand Renaissance-style murals from biomedical research.

The state of Ohio, which has been investing heavily in nanotechnology research, may host a BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology World meeting for the next four years, if Ferrari gets his way. He's asked the National Science Foundation to support holding the meeting in Columbus for 2001 and 2002, in Cincinnati for 2003, and in Cleveland for 2004.

Editor's note: Members of the news media interested in attending the conference should contact Pam Frost at the above phone number or e-mail. More information about the conference, including abstracts of accepted research papers, can be found on the Web at http://nanotech.osu.edu.

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