Brussels, 31/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - As part of preparations for an opinion on the ethical aspects of nano-medicine, the European Group on Ethics, chaired by Göran Hermeren held a round table in Brussels on 21 March, which was attended by doctors, scientists, patient representatives and various philosophical and religious movements. Many of those who took the floor pointed out that nano-technology is still a relatively young research sector, that it usually takes between 20 and 30 years to develop new treatments and that it is important to draw a distinction between realistic expectations and science-fiction. Mary Geraldine Baker of the United Kingdom- an emblematic figure in the fight against Parkinson's disease- laid emphasis on the need to involve patient associations in the development of these new technologies, focusing mainly on the targeted distribution of infinitesimal doses of therapeutic substances, cell and tissue regeneration and implanting chips or other extremely small devices. She went on to point out that in medicine, the patients' interests must always come first. Danish biologist Stig Irving Olsen described the risks involved in the use of nano-technologies: these are related to the size of the substance, its chemical composition and its surface structure. Among the dangers, he spoke of accumulation in the liver, cytotoxicity, risks related to the use of cadmium and oxidative stress. The president of the Consultative Council on Ethics of France (CNCE), Didier Sicard, said that traceability and reversability should be at the heart of the reflection on nano-medicines, and raised the problem of potential "dependency induced by nano-prostheses", and that of the accumulation of nano-matter in the environment. The Group is due to publish its opinion in the second half of 2006.