Nanomedicines--what are they?

Nanomedicines are drug formulations based on tiny structures (nanoparticles) usually measuring between 1nanometre (nm) and 100nm. More broadly, the term nanotechnology encompasses the production and application of structures, devices or systems by controlling the shape and size of materials at the nanometre scale.1 Nanotechnologies are used in a wide range of applications, including aerospace materials, cosmetics and in medicine.1,2 Here we discuss the application of this increasingly important technology to drug therapy.