Springer BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology: Volume II: Micro/Nano Technologies for Genomics and Proteomics: 02

Less than twenty years ago photolithography and medicine were total strangers to one another.Theyhadnotyetmet,andnotevenlookingeachotherupintheclassi?eds.And then,nucleicacidchips,micro?uidicsandmicroarraysenteredthescene,andrapidlythese strangersbecameindispensablepartnersinbiomedicine. Asrecentlyastenyearsagothenotionofapplyingnanotechnologytothe?ghtagainstd- easewasdominantlytheprovinceofthe?ctionwriters.Thoughtsofnanoparticle-vehicled deliveryoftherapeuticalstodiseasedsiteswereanexerciseinscienti?csolitude,andgrounds for questioning one's ability to think "like an established scientist". And today we have nanoparticulatepaclitaxelastheprimeoptionagainstmetastaticbreastcancer,proteomic pro?lingdiagnostictoolsbasedontargetsurfacenanotexturing,nanoparticlecontrastagents forallradiologicalmodalities,nanotechnologiesembeddedinhigh-distributionlaboratory equipment, and no less than 152 novel nanomedical entities in the regulatory pipeline in theUSalone. Thisisatransformingimpact,byanymeasure,withclearevidenceoffurtheracceleration, supported by very vigorous investments by the public and private sectors throughout the world. Even joining the dots in a most conservative, linear fashion, it is easy to envision scenariosofpersonalizedmedicinesuchasthefollowing: patient-speci?cpreventionsupplantinggross,facelessinterventionstrategies; early detection protocols identifying signs of developing disease at the time when thediseaseismosteasilysubdued; personally tailored intervention strategies that are so routinely and inexpensively realized,thataccesstothemcanbesecuredbyeveryone; technologiesallowingforlonglivesinthecompanyofdisease,asgoodneighbors, withoutimpairmentofthequalityoflifeitself. Thesevisionswillbecomereality.Thecontributionsfromtheworldsofsmall-scalete- nologies are required to realize them. Invaluable progress towards them was recorded by the very scientists that have joined forces to accomplish the effort presented in this 4-volume collection. It has been a great privilege for me to be at their service, and at the service of the readership, in aiding with its assembly. May I take this oppor- nity to express my gratitude to all of the contributing Chapter Authors, for their - spired and thorough work. For many of them, writing about the history of their s- cialty?eldsofBioMEMSandBiomedicalNanotechnologyhasreallybeenreportingabout their personal, individual adventures through scienti?c discovery and innovation-a sort xxii FOREWORD of family album, with equations, diagrams, bibliographies and charts replacing Holiday pictures....