Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The nanotechnology applications in medicine and biology are very important on the basis that the quality of life can be improved with the use of such devices. Prosthetic implants and surgical tools, that are ultraprecision finished, are only some of the nanotechnology products already in use. Various diagnostic devices, with very small size, that enter the human body, are now available in the market, like sensors that record accurate data of the blood pressure during the “balloon inflation” treatment, performed to patients with blocked arteries. Other medical applications are related to manufacturing of miniaturized surgical instruments and diagnostic tools entering the body of the patient, like micro-catheters, with sizes smaller than 100 μm, attached to wires or optical fibers for acquiring photographs or videos from the interior of the body of the patient, and micro-cutters for the removal of arterial plaque. Furthermore, the application of laser cutting in some very delicate operations, like ophthalmic surgery, is under consideration, whilst the preparation of laminated drugs, with selective reactive molecular coatings, which will act in specific places inside the human bodies, is currently being studied.

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