Nanomedicine: Where we stand and where can we go?

Authors: Goswami A , Chandrasekar K and Murthy C*

DOI: 10.23880/nnoa-16000115

Volume 2, Issue 1

Abstract

“Nanotechnology” was introduced by Norio Taniguchi and according to him “nanotechnology mainly consists of the processing of separation, consolidation and deformation of materials by one atom or one molecule” [1]. The term “nanomaterials” represents the class of materials, the size of which ranges from 1-100 nm [2]. Since Richard Feynman established the concept “nanomaterials” in 1959 in his article [3] “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom. An invitation to enter a new field of physics”, the field witnessed a sharp growth. However, the potential of nanotechnology in various aspects of technical and scientific discoveries have just started to be explored owing to the advancement of sophisticated instrumental techniques. Among them, “nanomedicine” or “nanomedicinal science” is relatively new and upcoming area of research and essentially describes the utilizations of nanomaterials/nanotechnologies for medicinal purposes. Though the term “nanomedicine” was first used by Freitas in his book, [4] the use of the nanoparticles for the medicinal purpose can be traced back to ancient ages. Given the recent upsurge in interdisciplinary collaborative works, the area of “nanomedicinal science” can only be portrayed as an amalgamation of different parts of basic sciences and technologies. 

Keywords: Nanomedicine:Nanotechnology; Drug-Delivery Systems

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