BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology: Volume II: Micro/Nano Technologies for Genomics and Proteomics

Less than twenty years ago photolithography and medicine were total strangers to one another.Theyhadnotyetmet, andnotevenlookingeachotherupintheclassi?eds.And then, nucleicacidchips, micro?uidicsandmicroarraysenteredthescene, andrapidlythese strangersbecameindispensablepartnersinbiomedicine. Asrecentlyastenyearsagothenotionofapplyingnanotechnologytothe?ghtagainstd- easewasdominantlytheprovinceofthe?ctionwriters.Thoughtsofnanoparticle-vehicled deliveryoftherapeuticalstodiseasedsiteswereanexerciseinscienti?csolitude, andgrounds for questioning one's ability to think "like an established scientist." And today we have nanoparticulatepaclitaxelastheprimeoptionagainstmetastaticbreastcancer, proteomic pro?lingdiagnostictoolsbasedontargetsurfacenanotexturing, nanoparticlecontrastagents forallradiologicalmodalities, nanotechnologiesembeddedinhigh-distributionlaboratory equipment, and no less than 152 novel nanomedical entities in the regulatory pipeline in theUSalone. Thisisatransformingimpact, byanymeasure, withclearevidenceoffurtheracceleration, supported by very vigorous investments by the public and private sectors throughout the world. Even joining the dots in a most conservative, linear fashion, it is easy to envision scenariosofpersonalizedmedicinesuchasthefollowing: patient-speci?cpreventionsupplantinggross, facelessinterventionstrategies; early detection protocols identifying signs of developing disease at the time when thediseaseismosteasilysubdued; personally tailored intervention strategies that are so routinely and inexpensively realized, thataccesstothemcanbesecuredbyeveryone; technologiesallowingforlonglivesinthecompanyofdisease, asgoodneighbors, withoutimpairmentofthequalityoflifeitself. Thesevisionswillbecomereality.Thecontributionsfromtheworldsofsmall-scalete- nologies are required to realize them. Invaluable progress towards them was recorded by the very scientists that have joined forces to accomplish the effort presented in this 4-volume collection. It has been a great privilege for me to be at their service, and at the service of the readership, in aiding with its assembly. May I take this oppor- nity to express my gratitude to all of the contributing Chapter Authors, for their - spired and thorough work. For many of them, writing about the history of their s- cialty?eldsofBioMEMSandBiomedicalNanotechnologyhasreallybeenreportingabout their personal, individual adventures through scienti?c discovery and innovation-a sort xxii FOREWORD of family album, with equations, diagrams, bibliographies and charts replacing Holiday pictures....