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Abstract
Traditional boundaries between materials science and engineering and life sciences
are rapidly disintegrating as interdisciplinary research teams develop new materials-science-based
tools for exploring fundamental issues in both medicine and biology. With recent technological
advances in multiple research fields such as materials science, cell and molecular
biology and micro-/nano-technology, much attention is shifting toward evaluating the
functional advantages of nanomaterials and nanofabrication, at the cellular and molecular
levels, for specific, biomedically relevant applications. The pursuit of this direction
enhances the understanding of the mechanisms of, and therapeutic potentials for, some
of the most lethal diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, organ fibrosis and
cancers. This interdisciplinary approach has generated great interest among researchers
working in a wide variety of communities including industry, universities and research
laboratories. The purpose of this focus issue in Science and Technology of Advanced
Materials is to bridge nanotechnology and biology with medicine, focusing more on
the applications of nanomaterials and nanofabrication in biomedically relevant issues.
This focus issue, we believe, will provide a more comprehensive understanding of (i)
the preparation of nanomaterials and the underlying mechanisms of nanofabrication,
and (ii) the linkage of nanomaterials and nanofabrication with biomedical applications.
The multidisciplinary focus issue that we have attempted to organize is of interest
to various research fields including biomaterials and tissue engineering, bioengineering,
nanotechnology and nanomaterials, i.e. chemistry, physics and engineering. Nanomaterials
and nanofabrication topics addressed in this focus issue include sensing and diagnosis
(e.g. immunosensing and diagnostic devices for diseases), cellular and molecular biology
(e.g. probing cellular behaviors and stem cell differentiation) and drug delivery
carriers (e.g. polymers, gold nanoparticles, Prussian blue nanoparticles, mesoporous
silica nanoparticles and carbon-based nanomaterials). Here, we would like to show
our deep appreciation to all authors and reviewers. Without their great help and contributions,
this focus issue, including the review and original papers, would not have been published
on schedule. This focus issue may not cover all issues in this emerging scientific
field; however, we believe that our efforts have great potential ‘to hurl a boulder
to draw a jade’ and ignite innovation and challenging discussion in the relevant scientific
communities.