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Posted on Feb 24, 2005, 5 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
It was a small wedding. Very small. But big changes are coming from the marriage of medicine and nanotechnology, the new branch of science that deals with things a few millionths of an inch in size. Think
It was a small wedding. Very small. But big changes are coming from the marriage of medicine and nanotechnology, the new branch of science that deals with things a few millionths of an inch in size.
Think “tiny medicine,” and you probably think “Fantastic Voyage,” the 1966 movie (and Isaac Asimov book) about a minuscule medical crew submarining through a patient’s circulatory system. In fact, some nanomedicine experts foresee a day when invisibly small robots will cruise through the body looking for signs of disease - albeit without the added attraction of a neoprene-clad Raquel Welch.
“Nanobots” remain imaginary for now, but a number of other futuristic nanodevices are already proving their potential in animal and human experiments. More than 60 drugs and drug delivery systems based on nanotechnology, and more than 90 medical devices or diagnostic tests, are already being tested, according to NanoBiotech News, a weekly newsletter that tracks the field. These examples, drawn from recent scientific publications, offer a glimpse of just how small the field of medicine is getting.
Think “tiny medicine,” and you probably think “Fantastic Voyage,” the 1966 movie (and Isaac Asimov book) about a minuscule medical crew submarining through a patient’s circulatory system. In fact, some nanomedicine experts foresee a day when invisibly small robots will cruise through the body looking for signs of disease - albeit without the added attraction of a neoprene-clad Raquel Welch.
“Nanobots” remain imaginary for now, but a number of other futuristic nanodevices are already proving their potential in animal and human experiments. More than 60 drugs and drug delivery systems based on nanotechnology, and more than 90 medical devices or diagnostic tests, are already being tested, according to NanoBiotech News, a weekly newsletter that tracks the field. These examples, drawn from recent scientific publications, offer a glimpse of just how small the field of medicine is getting.
