6th International Conference On Materials Science and Nanotechnology: Interesting Facts About Nano Medicine

Nano medicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. Nano medicine ranges from the medical applications of nano materials, to nano-electronic bio-sensors, and even possible future applications of molecular nanotechnology. Current problems for nano medicine involve understanding the issues related to toxicity and environmental impact of nano scale materials (materials whose structure is on the scale of manometers, i.e. billionths of a meter).

Nanotechnology, Nano-medicine, and the Future

Nanotechnologies, applied to the medical field, can allow doctors to search out and destroy the very first cancer cells that would otherwise have caused a tumor to develop. Nanotechnologies can remove a broken portion of a cell and replace it with a miniature biological machine, or deliver medicines exactly where and when they are needed. Nano-medicine is an offshoot of nanotechnology, and refers to highly-specific medical intervention at the molecular scale for curing diseases or repairing damaged tissues. The pursuit of nano-medicine on the part of researchers at the National Institute of Health (NIH) began several years ago, with results expected within ten years of their launch date in 2005.

Quick Facts: Nano Medicine & Nanotechnology

One nano meter (NM) is one billionth, or 10 to the power of 9, of a meter.
Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale.
Nanotechnology has provided the possibility of delivering drugs to specific cells using nano particles.
Inhaling airborne nano particles and nano-fibers may lead to a number of pulmonary diseases, e.g. fibrosis.
Nano scale materials such as nano-pillars are sometimes used in solar cells which combats the cost of traditional Silicon solar cells.
In the future Nano medicine could make use of these nano-robots, introduced into the body, to repair or detect damages and infections.
Calls for tighter regulation of nanotechnology have occurred alongside a growing debate related to the human health and safety risks of nanotechnology.
Nero-electronic interfacing is a visionary goal dealing with the construction of nano-devices that will permit computers to be joined and linked to the nervous system.
Two forms of nano medicine that have already been tested in mice and are awaiting human trials that will be using gold nano shells to help diagnose and treat cancer.
Nanotechnology may be used as part of tissue engineering to help reproduce or repair damaged tissue using suitable nano-material-based scaffolds and growth factors.