NANO SENSORS AND DETECTORS-THEIR APPLICATIONS (NEMS)

                          Nanotechnology is an extremely powerful emerging technology, which is expected to have a substantial impact on medical technology now and in the future. The potential impact ofnovel nanomedical applications on disease diagnosis, therapy, and prevention is foreseen to change health care in a fundamental way. Biomedical nanotechnology presents revolutionary opportunities in the fight against many diseases . An area with near-term potential is detecting molecules associated with diseases such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases, as well as detectingmicroorganisms and viruses associated with infections, such as pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and HIV viruses. Macroscale devices constructed from exquisitely sensitive nanoscale components, such as micro-/nanocantilevers, nanotubes, and nanowires, can detect even the rarest biomolecular signals at a very early stage of the disease.

Development of these devices is in the proof-of-concept phase, though entering the market may be sooner than expected. However, a different approach of molecular sensing in vivo involves the use of implantable sensors which is still hampered by unwanted biofouling impairing long-term stability of continuous sensors caused by blood components and factors of the immune system. Nanotechnology might yield nano-structured surfaces preventing this non-specific protein adsorption.

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