from the now-here's-some-vision dept.
In a Perspective on "The Next Pharmaceutical Century", Chemical & Engineering News (subscription req'd) gives great quotes on nanotechnology-based medicine from two leaders: William Hazeltine, chairman and CEO of Human Genome Sciences, and Richard Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute. Hazeltine: "The fusion of atomic-scale engineering technology with our bodies will enormously enhance human performance." Klausner: "Ultimately, what I think is a fantastic challenge is to link molecular sensing technologies with nanotechnology…" Read More for the full quotes. The first paragraph below is from the main body of the text, written by Celia M. Henry:
"We may even find ways to improve on our basic architecture. Nanorobots injected into the body may rebuild broken-down or worn-out body parts with materials more durable than our own native proteins. Other nanorobots may be able to diagnose and eradicate now fatal diseases such as heart disease and cancer. These things may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but they aren't as far off as they seem. In April, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration signed an agreement to develop biomedical technologies that can detect, diagnose, and treat disease. Such devices are on their way…
"However, [William A. Hazeltine, chairman and CEO of Human Genome Sciences] thinks the second half of the century will be even better. 'The most important advance in the 21st century will be the introduction of atomic-scale prostheses to repair and restore human body function,' Hazeltine says. 'That will come in the second half of the century, and it will be tied to the most important revolution of the next century, which will be atomic-scale engineering…We will replace our body parts with a more durable substance and extend human performance in almost any area… "The fusion of atomic-scale engineering technology with our bodies will enormously enhance human performance""…We have already made some of the fundamental advances that are needed…It's more a question of engineering and execution at this point.'…
"Like Hazeltine, NCI's Klausner [director of the National Cancer Institute] also sees nanotechnology playing a role in medicine. 'Ultimately, what I think is a fantastic challenge is to link molecular sensing technologies with nanotechnology for the idea of using such molecular machines to remotely sense molecular changes, know what they are, and know where they are. One can ultimately imagine the incorporation in a single molecular platform of sensing, signal generation, external decision-making, and local therapy. I don't think what we're talking about violates laws of physics as we understand them, but they are very far off in terms of what we're capable of doing.'"
