Nanotechnology's Prescription for Health Care

Our hypothetical department store of nanotech products would also have a small section devoted to health care. Wound dressing for burn victims incorporates nanosilver as an antibacterial agent. Abraxane, a nanoparticle breast cancer treatment drug, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Nanotech materials are being used in dentistry as adhesives and tooth fillings.

Health care is one of the areas where nanotechnology could have a revolutionary impact. The cells that make up the human body are composed of nanoscale components. DNA, which is situated in the nucleus of a cell, is about two nanometers wide. Viruses are about fifty nanometers long. Bacteria and cells are huge by comparison, measuring in the thousands of nanometers. If scientists become proficient in manipulating matter at a nanoscale range, it would enable doctors to interact with the components of the human body at the subcellular level.