Today, the world of supersmall technology no longer is a dream. And Keshab and Shubhra Gangopadhyay, a husband-and-wife engineering duo at the University of Missouri College of Engineering, are taking their "nano" vision from the laboratory to the marketplace.

Nanotechnology is the science of building devices from single atoms and molecules. The basic dimension, the nanometer, is one one-billionth of a meter. To put that in perspective: A red blood cell is 7,000 nanometers in diameter; the head of pin is about 1 million nanometers wide.

The Gangopadhyays initiated their academic careers in their native India. Keshab earned a doctorate in nuclear engineering, and Shubhra obtained hers in physics. In the mid-1980s, they each pursued scientific research and teaching - he in engineering and math; she in physics and engineering - at universities in India and Germany.

While in Germany, Keshab collaborated with a professor from the United States. That association led to an invitation for Keshab to serve as a visiting professor of mathematics at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where Shubhra also pursued her academic career. During more than 10 years at Texas Tech, the Gangopadhyays also explored entrepreneurship by devoting time and energy to a company involved with semiconductors.

They left Texas Tech in 2003, when Shubhra was offered an endowed professorship as the LaPierre Chair in the MU College of Engineering.

"She decided to accept the position, and I supported her," Keshab recalled. "After she assumed her new position, I preferred to be a research professor at the university, keeping a significant amount of time available for entrepreneurial activities."

The next year, the enterprising pair formed NEMS/MEMS Works LLC. They pointed their company toward the pursuit of nanotechnology in the fields of energy, security and medicine.

Now these dynamic researchers are synthesizing new nanomaterials for integration using microfabrication techniques to make novel microdevices. Collaborating on this project with the Gangopadhyays are Steven Apperson, an MU doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering, and Luis Polo-Parada, assistant professor of medical pharmacology at MU.

"We are beginning to produce nanomaterials that can be used very effectively for biosensors and medical applications," Keshab explained. "In the near future, the company envisions the manufacture of a shock-wave generator microdevice for cell transfection, drug delivery and gene therapy."

Among their efforts is a prototype nanodevice to help physicians treat life-threatening illnesses. Dubbed "the smart bomb of the nanotechnology world," the molecular-sized device speeds and targets the delivery of drugs to treat diseases such as cancer. The miniscule device is "smart" because it can target only diseased cells. This would enable physicians to aim the proper amount of treatment to the exact location and minimize undesirable side effects.

Thus far the Gangopadhyays and their research team have tested their nanodevice only on animal and plant cells, achieving a high success rate. A significant amount of time - potentially two to five years - and additional testing will be needed before this therapy is available for human applications.

Although the Gangopadhyays are busy in the lab, they also are exploring commercialization possibilities for their work with the help of a dedicated team of tech-savvy business counselors at the University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Missouri Small Business and Technology Development Center counselors Jim Gann and Paul Rehrig are an integral part of the NEMS/MEMS business team, Keshab says.

"They have the right expertise. We’ve needed their professional help for business negotiation with the university and the outside business world," Keshab said. "Jim has helped us develop the business plan for each technology, and Paul has been helping us with our SBIR proposals. They also mentor us in preparing our presentation to potential investors."

The Gangopadhyays know the next five years are very important to the transfer of their nanotechnology research to the marketplace. They are confident the assistance of Gann and Rehrig will help them develop a model for commercial success.

Mary Paulsell is the director of the University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri. Reach her at paulsellm@missouri.edu or visit www.missouribusiness.net.