Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Recent advances in creating nanomaterials have created new opportunities in biomedical research and clinical applications [1,2]. High-quality nanomaterials, of well-controlled size and shape, are a new class of building blocks to enable the establishment of assays for monitoring molecular signals in biological systems and living organisms. Many of these new nanoassays have higher sensitivity, selectivity and throughput than conventional bioanalytical methods. On the one hand, these nanoassays will be capable of detecting biochemical changes at the single-molecule level in living cells [3]. Conversely, these assays will lead to low-cost, point-of-care devices for rapid diagnosis of pathogenic and genetic diseases (e.g., HIV and cancer) [4]. In addition, nanomaterials have been used as advanced contrast agents for clinical imaging technologies, such as MRI, computer tomography and ultrasound [5–7]. Moreover, the use of nanomaterials will lead to the invention of ‘smart’ drug-delivery vehicles, new therapies and even new scalpel-free surgery methods. These new opportunities stem primarily from the novel nature of nanomaterials. Owing to their size-dependent effects, nanomaterials exhibit new physical and chemical properties compared with conventional bulk and molecular materials [8]. In general, nanomaterials include inorganic, organic and inorganic/organic composite nanostructures, such as nanoparticles, nanowires and nanopatterns. This special issue of Nanomedicine presents readers with current exciting developments in the use of nanoparticles and nanopatterns for biomedical diagnosis and drug delivery.