Chapter 6 - Nanotechnology for Health, Food, and Hygiene

Abstract

Nanomedicine is defined as the application of nanotechnology to human health. In vivo applications are mainly concerned with diagnosis, especially imaging aids and other contrast agents, and with therapy, especially drug delivery. These applications require nano-objects, which must be functionalized to confer specific affinity for their biological target, and to evade recognition as a foreign body by the immune system. Sophisticated nanostructured materials are used in dental work and fulfilling bones elsewhere. In vitro, nanomedicine is dominated by bioanalytical devices and “smart” nanomaterials working as tissue scaffolds for growing tissues that will subsequently be implanted. Nano-enabled computing resources are increasingly needed for the heavy computations involved in drug discovery, modeling disease, automated diagnosis, and telemedicine.