Nanotechnology and medicine

Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to the prevention and treatment of diseases in human body. The discipline is in its infancy. It has the potential to change medical science dramatically in the 21/sup st/ century. The most elementary nanomedical devices are used for diagnosis. Chemical tests exist for this purpose; nanomachines could be employed to monitor the internal chemistry of the body. The combination of high resolution microscopy, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), and laser-based microdissection provides a direct approach for the investigation and isolation of biological specimen.