4 Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a collective definition referring to every technology and science which operates on a nanoscale and refers to the scientific principles and new properties that can be found and mastered when operating in this range. When we bring materials down to the nanoscale, the properties change and nanoparticles have other optical, magnetic or electrical properties than larger particles. These properties are and will be utilized in a wide spectre of areas as in medical applications, information technologies, energy production and storage, materials, manufacturing, instrumentation, environmental applications and security. Nanotechnology in biomedical research has emerged as an interdisciplinary science that has quickly found its own niche in clinical methodologies including imaging, diagnostic and therapeutic. The nano-based technology is expected to expand multi-directionally to provide unmet needs in medicine and has potential to generate innovations that will bring breakthrough treatments to various human diseases, including cancer.