Research on medical applications of nanotechnology in the European Union [Cellular/tissue engineering]

Discusses research on medical applications of nanotechnology in the European Union. Nanobiotechnology is based on the idea that the ability to design synthetic materials on a nanoscale base toward molecular architecture of biologically relevant molecules will ultimately lead to the integration of artificial and biological matter. This concept has applications in the environment, biomedical sensors, and artificial tissues. Biomaterials and medical devices represent a fast emerging market that is estimated at about US$260 billion worldwide, with Europe´s share being about 30%. Biomaterial and tissue engineering research are of high quality and in strong competition with the United States, who is still the world leader. The biomimetic approach to developing advanced materials is a new field that provides different solutions to existing challenges. In all living organisms, nature produces a plethora of materials, architectures, systems, and functions, which have been optimized during a long and tough evolution process. An essential feature of these highly structured materials is their structural organization in many scales, as is the case of ceramics and composites found in animal shells or in bone and dental tissues.