BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology – serie

blends materials, fabrication, and structure issues of developing nanobio devices in a single volume. treats major nanobio application areas such as drug delivery, molecular diagnostics, and imaging. chapters written by the leading researchers in the field.

Less than twenty years ago photolithography and medicine were total strangers to one another.Theyhadnotyetmet,andnotevenlookingeachotherupintheclassi?eds.And then,nucleicacidchips,micro?uidicsandmicroarraysenteredthescene,andrapidlythese strangersbecameindispensablepartnersinbiomedicine. Asrecentlyastenyearsagothenotionofapplyingnanotechnologytothe?ghtagainstd- easewasdominantlytheprovinceofthe?ctionwriters.Thoughtsofnanoparticle-vehicled deliveryoftherapeuticalstodiseasedsiteswereanexerciseinscienti?csolitude,andgrounds for questioning one's ability to think "like an established scientist". And today we have nanoparticulatepaclitaxelastheprimeoptionagainstmetastaticbreastcancer,proteomic pro?lingdiagnostictoolsbasedontargetsurfacenanotexturing,nanoparticlecontrastagents forallradiologicalmodalities,nanotechnologiesembeddedinhigh-distributionlaboratory equipment, and no less than 152 novel nanomedical entities in the regulatory pipeline in theUSalone. Thisisatransformingimpact,byanymeasure,withclearevidenceoffurtheracceleration, supported by very vigorous investments by the public and private sectors throughout the world.Even joining the dots in a most conservative, linear fashion, it is easy to envision scenariosofpersonalizedmedicinesuchasthefollowing: patient-speci?cpreventionsupplantinggross,facelessinterventionstrategies; early detection protocols identifying signs of developing disease at the time when thediseaseismosteasilysubdued; personally tailored intervention strategies that are so routinely and inexpensively realized,thataccesstothemcanbesecuredbyeveryone; technologiesallowingforlonglivesinthecompanyofdisease,asgoodneighbors, withoutimpairmentofthequalityoflifeitself. Thesevisionswillbecomereality.Thecontributionsfromtheworldsofsmall-scalete- nologies are required to realize them. Invaluable progress towards them was recorded by the very scientists that have joined forces to accomplish the effort presented in this 4-volume collection. It has been a great privilege for me to be at their service, and at the service of the readership, in aiding with its assembly. May I take this oppor- nity to express my gratitude to all of the contributing Chapter Authors, for their - spired and thorough work. For many of them, writing about the history of their s- cialty?eldsofBioMEMSandBiomedicalNanotechnologyhasreallybeenreportingabout their personal, individual adventures through scienti?c discovery and innovation-a sort xxii FOREWORD of family album, with equations, diagrams, bibliographies and charts replacing Holiday pictures...

Less than twenty years ago photolithography and medicine were total strangers to one another. They had not yet met, and not even looking each other up in the classi?eds. And then, nucleic acid chips, micro?uidics and microarrays entered the scene, and rapidly these strangers became indispensable partners in biomedicine. Asrecentlyastenyearsagothenotionofapplyingnanotechnologytothe?ghtagainstd- ease was dominantly the province of the ?ction writers. Thoughts of nanoparticle-vehicled deliveryoftherapeuticalstodiseasedsiteswereanexerciseinscienti?csolitude,andgrounds for questioning one's ability to think "like an established scientist". And today we have nanoparticulate paclitaxel as the prime option against metastatic breast cancer, proteomic pro?lingdiagnostictoolsbasedontargetsurfacenanotexturing,nanoparticlecontrastagents for all radiological modalities, nanotechnologies embedded in high-distribution laboratory equipment, and no less than 152 novel nanomedical entities in the regulatory pipeline in the US alone.Thisisatransformingimpact,byanymeasure,withclearevidenceoffurtheracceleration, supported by very vigorous investments by the public and private sectors throughout the world. Even joining the dots in a most conservative, linear fashion, it is easy to envision scenarios of personalized medicine such as the following: patient-speci?c prevention supplanting gross, faceless intervention strategies; early detection protocols identifying signs of developing disease at the time when the disease is most easily subdued; personally tailored intervention strategies that are so routinely and inexpensively realized, that access to them can be secured by everyone; technologies allowing for long lives in the company of disease, as good neighbors, without impairment of the quality of life itself.