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. Bionanotechnology is a term coined for the area of study where nanotechnology has applications in the field of biology and medical sciences. Healthcare is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the “care for the general health of a person, community, etc., especially that is provided by an organized health service.” Moreover, Healthcare can also be defined as the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions1.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Drug Delivery Agent: Drug delivery agent is a medium which facilitates in the delivery of a pharmaceutical compound to humans or animals.
Nanosensors: Nanosensors can detect either minute particles or miniscule quantities of something.
Society: An organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes.
Healthcare Costs: Cost paid to hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, diagnostic laboratories, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, and other components of the healthcare system.
Nanoshell: A spherical core consisting of a particular compound, which is surrounded by a shell of a few nanometer of thickness.
Nanoparticles: A microscopic particle whose size is measured in nanometres (nm). It is defined as a particle with at least one dimension <100nm.
Nanobiosensors: Nanobiosensors are capable of penetration and location at specific sites within single living cells, which is made possible through developments in nanobiotechnology.