Nanotechnology offers sensing technologies that provide more accurate and timely
medical information for diagnosing disease, and miniature devices that can administer
treatment automatically if required.

Health assessment can require medical professionals, invasive procedures and extensive
laboratory testing to collect data and diagnose disease. This process can take hours, days
or weeks for scheduling and obtaining results.

Some medical information is extremely time sensitive such as finding out if there is
sufficient blood flow to an organ or tissue after transplant or reconstructive surgery,
before irreversible damage occurs.

Certain medical tests such as biopsies are subjective and can provide inconclusive or
incorrect results. In a false negative result where a needle misses the tumor and then
samples a normal tissue, the cancer may go untreated and can impact a patient’s chances
for long-term survival.
Some tests such as diabetes blood sugar levels require patients to administer the test
themselves to avoid the risk of their blood glucose falling to dangerous levels. Certain
users such as children and the elderly may not be able to perform the test properly, timely
or without considerable pain.

People who are exposed to radiation or hazardous chemicals in their work environment
are at a higher risk of illness. Occasional testing is typically done but may not detect a
disease in its early stage. Early detection could initiate timely treatment with a higher
chance of success, and have a worker removed from the hazardous environment to
prevent further damage.

Nanotechnology can new offer new implantable and/or wearable sensing technologies
that provide continuous and extremely accurate medical information. Complementary
microprocessors and miniature devices can be incorporated with sensors to diagnose
disease, transmit information and administer treatment automatically if required.