Nanotechnology Applications in Medicine

The use of electric impulses in stimulating nerves and specific parts of the brain has shown great promise in treating various neurological diseases. Depending on the disorder to be treated a different implantable device must be used; the main components of all these devices, however, are the same: a Li battery (in centimeters) that generates the impulses and electrodes (in millimeters) that carry the impulses to the respective part of the brain. In the present talk, after describing the implantation procedure and configuration of these systems in the human body, next generation brain implantable devices will be discussed, These future implantable devices will make use of nanosized Li-batteries which are far more efficient (at least 3 times) than the current ones being used, as well as nanowires. Nanodimensions will allow for less invasive surgery, more efficient implants, and will also be more comfortable for the patient. Furthermore, other important nanoteclmology applications in medicine will be described, such as the use of nanopatricles for drug delivery, the use of quantum dots for cancer detection.