[Nanomedicine. Innovative applications in medicine]

Nanomedicine is a new and upcoming area in medicine. In particular, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) deserve attention as they can be used for diagnostics and therapy ("theranostics"). For diagnosis in vivo SPION are already used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging; in vitro they are used for cell separation. For therapy, magnetic drug targeting is a particularly promising approach. It enables a goal-oriented local application of active substances. Very promising animal experiments have already been performed. Moreover, SPION can be heated by alternating magnetic fields, so combination with hyperthermia is also possible. However, many effects of nanotechnology on the human organism are not known. Hence, further investigations are indispensable to elucidate possible toxic effects. Implementation of this promising therapy into the clinical setting will be possible due to interdisciplinary cooperation and respective financial support.