Prevention

The majority of healthcare is reactive rather than preventative. This is often some time after the initial infection or trauma, which means that tissue damage and suffering has already occurred. In some cases this damage can be irreparable, in others permanent reminders remain (such as loss of function of that body part or scarring).

Therefore, possibly the most important aspect of nanomedicine in the future will be its potential to prevent illness, rather than simply treating it. Nanotechnology will contribute to this through more effective monitoring of individuals’ health (allowing diseases to be caught in their infancy) and more sterile hospital environments (limiting the opportunity for bacteria, viruses and other microbes to cause secondary disease). Understanding the genetic make-up of the patient will also allow the doctor to prescribe personalised medicine.

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