Tuesday, 30th September 2008 (626 views)

Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionise medicine, energy and food among many other possibilities, it has been claimed.

The opportunities that nano research could open up for society have been highlighted by Pharmaceutical Technology Europe.

It asserted that nanotechnology forms the basis of "many technical innovations of the 21st century".

Cancer treatment is one field that may be aided by such research, it notes, citing a case where scientists used gold nanoshells to "cook" tumours with infrared heat without harming healthy tissue.

Manipulating substances on a molecular level can create new devices that are smaller, faster and stronger than their larger forms, the article also explained.

However, it warned that more research is needed before the technology can be fully understood.

Recently, Fairway Medical Technologies received a $900,000 (£502,826) grant from the US Navy to develop a method of detecting biological warfare agents in human blood using gold nanoparticles.

 

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