Glossary
nanomedicine
The use of nanotechnology to prevent, diagnose or treat disease.
Most of the field works on delivery: getting a medicine or genetic instruction to the right cells, in the right amount, without it breaking down on the way. Other areas include imaging agents that make diseased tissue easier to see, and treatments designed to cross the blood–brain barrier, which blocks most medicines from reaching the brain.
Documented real-world example: the lipid nanoparticle in the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is the most widely used nanomedicine to date, given in billions of doses.
Related terms: nanotechnology, nanoparticle, lipid nanoparticle, blood–brain barrier
Sources: Lipid Nanoparticles, Key Component of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines — StatNano