Keystone Nano is on course to fast become a major player in the ever-quickening race to nanotechnology glory. The company has grown at a steady clip and made progress in development of its flagship technology, known as the NanoJacket. It enables the creation of stable, non-toxic, 5- to 50-nm composite particles to deliver drugs and/or fluorescent molecules. Made from the same material as teeth and bone, NanoJackets can increase effectiveness and regulate side effects of the sometimes debilitating impact of chemotherapy for cancer patients.

The technology was created through a collaborative effort between professor James Adair's research group from Penn State's Materials Research Institute and Passsanati Distinguished Professor Mark Kester's research group at the Hershey Medical Center.

The company has received more than $3 million in funding, including $400,000 from Ben Franklin Technology Partners. It was named the Outstanding Technology Company of the Year in 2009 by the Center for Business and Industry of Centre County. In the spring of 2010, the company began leasing lab space at the Hershey Center for Applied Research to test new product properties. The company maintains a partnership with Nalco Company, a leading global provider of integrated water treatment services, chemicals and equipment. The joint venture, NanoSpecialties LLC, creates new products with nano-features for industrial markets.

Late in 2010, the company earned a Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Award that provides funding to develop the company's nanoparticles technology for the enhanced treatment of cancer. The following spring, Keystone Nano was awarded nearly $200,000 in PA Department of Community and Economic Development funds.