Nanomedicine
• A Brief History of Nanomedicine • Theranostics • Targeted Drug-Delivery • Polymer Therapeutics • Regenerative Medicine • Ethical and societal issues

The aim of this briefing paper is to provide concise, correct and balanced information to advance public debate among consumers, media, policy makers, producers and researchers as part of the European Commission-funded Nanobio-RAISE project.1 It results from the combined contributions of natural and social scientists, industrialists, and governmental and public interest organisations across Europe. It is intended to provide information and does not represent the views or policy of the European Commission or any other body.

Nanomedical sectors
• Drug delivery • Biomaterials • In vivo imaging • In vitro diagnostics • Active implants • Drugs & therapy course, all kinds of medical devices profit from the miniaturisation of electronic components as they move beyond micro to nano. This affects diagnostic tools, pace-makers, “cameras in a pill,” etc. Nanoparticulate pharmaceutical agents can penetrate cells more effectively as well as being able to cross the blood-brain-barrier. After injecting nanoparticles into tumours, these can be stimulated electromagnetically from outside the body – by emitting heat, the stimulated particles can then destroy the tumour cells. Antibacterial surfaces incorporating photocatalytic or biocidal nanoparticles reduce the risk of infection in doctors’ offices and public buildings. Portable testing kits allow for self-monitoring and speedy diagnosis. New contrast agents and visualisation tools provide a closer look at cellular processes. But this, too, is nanotechnology in action: nanoparticulate steroids are introduced into the body’s own red blood cells; as the cells die their natural deaths, the steroids are released to the body in very small doses, thus minimising, if not excluding the side-effects of many steroid