Abstract
Bionanotechnology is a combination of three terms: “bios” meaning “life,” “nano” (origin in Greek) meaning “dwarf,” and “technologia” (origin in Greek—comprised of “techne” meaning “craft,” and “logia” meaning “saying”), which is a broad term dealing with the use and knowledge of humanity’s tools and crafts. Biomolecular Nanotechnology—or Bionanotechnology— is a term coined for the area of study where nanotechnology has applications in the field of biology and medical sciences. One can also say that “Bionanotechnology” is derived by the combination of two terms: “nanotechnology,” and “biotechnology.”
Key Terms in this Chapter
Nanoshell: A spherical core consisting of a particular compound, which is surrounded by a shell of a few nanometer of thickness.
Personalized Medicine or Patient-Specific Medicine: The prescription of specific therapeutics best suited for an individual.
Bionanotechnology: Area of study where nanotechnology has applications in the field of biology and medical sciences.
Nanodiagonisis: Application of bionanotechnology for detection of diseases at molecular level.
Regenerative Medicine: Helps in natural healing processes to work faster, or uses special materials to regrow missing or damaged tissues.
Nanotherapeutics: Application of bionanotechnology in which the diseases can be treated by the use of various techniques at molecular level.
Quantum Dots: Nanoparticles made out of semiconductors having unique electrical and optical properties.
Nanotechnology: Engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale.