Nanotechnology in Health Sciences

Symposium Chair: Tejal Desai, Boston University

Synopsis

Nanoscience and nanotechnology can address one of the greatest challenges in the post-genomic era of the 21^st century – making the essential connections between structure and function of biomolecules at the micro/nanoscale to human physiology and pathophysiology at the macroscale.

To meet these challenges, the field of  biomedical nanotechnology has undergone exponential growth during the last 5 years. Technologies such as nanostructured biomaterials for biointegration, nanoprobes for cellular targeting, and nanofluidic chips for DNA processing and drug delivery promise to transform the world of biochemistry and medicine much in the same way that integrated semiconductor devices transformed the world of electronics and computation.

The key driving force is the complementary length scale between biological structures that range from the 10's of nanometers (proteins, DNA, viruses) to the micron scale (cells and cellular assemblies) and the new capabilities of nanosystems to manipulate and control such feature sizes within our environment.

This session seeks to showcase work in the area of biomedical nanotechnology, particularly related to tissue engineering and drug delivery.

For more information, please contact Tejal Desai

Impacted Industries

• Pharmaceuticals
• Biotechnology
• Patient Care
• Medical Devices
• Clinical Diagnostics