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Abstract
With the recent rise in interest on potential nanotechnology applications to biomedical
research, books dedicated to this novel field are not only expected but welcome. Biomedical
Nanotechnology (edited by Neelina H. Malsch) is one of these books which, hopefully,
will continue to encourage the growth of this promising discipline. The book is organized
in such a way that it blends technical and scientific information (especially as related
to three subfields: nanodrugs and drug delivery; prostheses and implants; and diagnostics
and screening technologies for laboratory use) with social and economic analyzes of
the field's recent and anticipated future impact to the world's health needs.
The book is divided into 7 chapters, written by 15 expert contributors. In the introduction,
it looks into the possible interactions of nanotechnology and biomedicine, and discusses
how these two converging technologies can be amalgamated to create a new interdisciplinary
field. As part of this discussion, concepts such as nanotechnology and nanobiomedicine
are precisely defined. In the introduction there is also a brief but useful description
of the following chapters.
Chapter 1 summarizes the current status quo of the field worldwide (more specifically,
USA, Europe and Japan). Although this chapter is quite comprehensive and detailed,
there is the risk that in such fast developing field this kind of data will become
rapidly outdated. Furthermore, this chapter could be enriched by the inclusion of
a short summary about other countries. For example, are there any signs of biomedical
nanothechnology initiatives in South America or in Asian countries other than Japan?
Despite that, the analyzes in chapter 1 can be successfully used as models for those
interested in producing similar work, either more updated or focusing in other countries
or regions of the world. Chapters 2 through 4 describe the state of the art of biomedical
nanotechnology research in 3 important subfields, already mentioned: drug delivery;
prostheses and implants; and diagnostics and screening technologies. These are excellent
chapters that have as merit the explanation of quite complex concepts in a simple
manner. The figures and pictures are extraordinarily simple (but of good quality)
and helpful, and, along with excellent tables, complement the straightforward style
of these chapters. The following chapters discuss the role of nanotechnology for biodefense,
a very opportune topic, and the social and economic aspects related to the emergence
of biomedical nanotechnology. The final chapter focuses on safety and regulatory issues.
The references at the end of each chapter are very useful for those interested in
expand their knowledge in a particular topic. Also helpful is the general index at
the end of the book.
The targeted audience is not only nanoscience researchers, but also those involved
in non governmental organizations, students and even lay person who might have an
interest in the field. In summary, this is a very well written book, accessible to
those with and without expertise in the area of nanotechnology, that will certainly
prove to be a valuable tool for those interested in the development of this new, interdisciplinary
and exciting field.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided
the original work is properly cited.