“Every once in a long while a new field of science and technology emerges that enables the development of a new generation of scientific and technological approaches, and research and clinical tools and devices. Nanotechnology holds such promise.” These words began the report of a recent National Institutes of Health conference, “Nano-science and Nanotechnology: Shaping Biomedical Research”, and characterize a relatively new field that holds promise of advances in medical research and care.

Nanotechnology is the creation and utilization of materials and devices at the level of atoms or molecules. The emerging field brings together studies in science and technology on the scale of a nanometer—one billionth of a meter, or a thousand times narrower than a human hair. UW’s Center for Nanotechnology opened in 1997 and has grown to 65 faculty members from the liberal arts, medicine, engineering, and pharmacy. Its impact on the field of medicine could be revolutionary. It has the potential, for example, to change and improve drug and gene delivery systems, develop diagnostic tools that could be placed in cells and create biocompatible materials for implants.