nanomedicine

nan·o·med·i·cine

(nan-ō-med'i-sin),

That branch of medicine reliant on nanotechnology in any form.

The application of nanotechnology to medical diagnostics and therapies, which encompasses the use of nanoscale sensors to detect internal signals—e.g., glucose levels—and respond by releasing insulin or other biomolecules

nanomedicine

Modern medicine A developing field in which nanoscale–ie, teeny-weeny–sensors would detect internal signals–eg, glucose levels, and respond by releasing insulin or other biomolecule

nanomedicine

The application to medicine of very small structures, of size between 1 and 100 nanometres. A nanometer is a billionth (one thousand millionth) of a meter and has the symbol nm. Potentially, the possibilities of nanotechnology applied to medicine are very great and include the delivery of drugs and genes into cells; the production of nanoinstruments of hitherto impossible precision; and the use of nanorobots to carry out procedures in any part of the body. Nanomedicine is already an established fact and is being taken seriously by governments and scientific bodies. At the end of 2002 the US National Institutes of Health initiated a four-year program of nanoscience and technology in medicine, and the British Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering are currently studying the benefits and risks.