In this book, the major paradigm-shifting discoveries made in the past century on key cellular nanomachines are described in great detail: their complex yet precise and elegant design and function, as well as the diseases linked to their dysfunction and the therapeutic approaches to overcome them. The major focus of this book is the “porosome” nanomachine, the universal secretory portal in cells. This is an ideal book for students, researchers, and professionals in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

"Increasingly, scientists are gaining control over matter at the nanometer scale. Spearheaded by physical scientists operating at the interfaces of physics and biology (such as the author herself), advances in nanoscience and technology are transforming how we think about life and treat human health. This is due to a convergence of size. To do medicine, one must understand and be able to reach the nanoscale environment of healthy cells in tissues and organs, as well as other nano-sized building blocks that constitute a living organism, such as proteins and DNA. The ground-breaking advances being made at the frontiers of nanoscience and -technology, specifically in the areas of biology and medicine, are the subject of this short, popular-level book. Chapter 1 describes how nanotechnology and quantitative methods in biology are progressively being deployed to embrace life in all its multiscale, hierarchical intricacy and multiplicity. Chapters 2 through 4 review how bioinspired and biomimetic nanostructures and nanomachines are being created and integrated into strategies aimed at solving specific medical problems. In particular, Chapter 2 summarizes how scientists are seeking to build artificial nanostructures using both biological molecules and the organizational principles of biology. Chapter 3 gives an account of how nanotechnology is being used to develop drug-delivery strategies that specifically target cancer cells and tumors to improve the efficacy of current cancer chemotherapies. Chapter 4 reviews the science of one of the most potentially transformative scientific fields: tissue engineering. In a concluding chapter (Chapter 5), Contera reviews how nanotechnology, biology, and medicine will continue fusing with other sciences and technologies - incorporating more mathematical and computational modelling, as well as AI and robotics. Nanoscale devices will be used to learn biology; and biology will be used to inspire increasingly sophisticated "transmaterial" devices that mimic some of the characteristics of biology and incorporate new features that are not available in the biological world. The effects on human health and longevity will be profound. In a more personal epilogue, Contera describes the crossroads at which we find ourselves. Accessing our own biology evokes a mixture of possibility and dread. However, Contera maintains that we can create a positive transmaterial world for the benefit of humankind, and she describes ways in which scientists are proactively engaging with the public, politicians, industry, and entrepreneurs, as well as the media and the arts, to communicate the power and risks of new advances and to influence the ways in which new technologies will affect our future"--

Nanomachines represent one of the most fascinating topics in of nanotechnology. These tiny devices provide diverse opportunities towards a wide range of important applications, ranging from targeted delivery of drug payloads to environmental remediation. This book addresses comprehensively the latest developments and discoveries in the field of nano- and microscale machines. It covers the evolution of nanomachines in general from a historical perspective, the fundamental challenges for motion at the nanoscale, different categories of biological and synthetic nano/microscale motors based on different propulsion mechanisms, ways for controlling the movement directionality and regulated speed, followed by detailed of major areas for which nanomachines has the potential to make a transformational impact. It ends with a futuristic look at nano/microscale machines and into their impact on the society. Key Features: * The only nanomachine introductory textbook currently available. * Written with college graduate level in mind to appeal to a broad interdisciplinary audience. * Covers the fundamental challenges for nanoscale motion. * Covers the latest advances in the design and operaton of a wide range of small-scale machines. * Covers diverse biomedical, environmental and technological applications of nanomachines. * Written in review format with cited articles to cover latest research and developments.

Technology is taking us to a world where myriads of heavily networked devices interact with the physical world in multiple ways, and at many levels, from the globalInternetdowntomicroandnanodevices. Manyofthesedevicesarehighly mobile and autonomous and must adapt to the surrounding environment in a totally unsupervised way. A fundamental research challenge is the design of robust decentralized c- puting systemsthat arecapableofoperating in changing environmentsandwith noisy input, and yet exhibit the desired behavior and response time, under c- straints such as energy consumption, size, and processing power. These systems should be able to adapt and learn how to react to unforeseen scenarios as well as to display properties comparable to social entities. The observation of nature has brought us many great and unforeseen concepts. Biological systems are able to handle many of these challenges with an elegance and e?ciency far beyond currenthumanartifacts. Basedonthisobservation,bio-inspiredapproacheshave been proposed as a means of handling the complexity of such systems. The goal is to obtain methods to engineer technical systems, which are of a stability and e?ciency comparable to those found in biological entities. This Special Issue on Biological and Biologically-inspired Communication contains the best papers from the Second International Conference on Bio- Inspired Models of Network, Information, and Computing Systems (BIONET- ICS 2007). The BIONETICS conference aims to bring together researchers and scientistsfromseveraldisciplines incomputerscienceandengineeringwhereb- inspired methods are investigated, as well as from bioinformatics, to deepen the information exchange and collaboration among the di?erent communities.

DNA Nanotechnology for Cell Research Comprehensive coverage of DNA nanotechnology with a focus on its biomedical applications in disease diagnosis, gene therapy, and drug delivery Bringing together multidisciplinary aspects of chemical, material, and biological engineering, DNA Nanotechnology for Cell Research: From Bioanalysis to Biomedicine presents an overview of DNA nanotechnology with emphasis on a variety of different applications in cell research and engineering, covering a unique collection of DNA nanotechnology for fundamental research and engineering of living cells, mostly in cellulo and in vivo, for the first time. Broad coverage of this book ranges from pioneering concepts of DNA nanotechnology to cutting-edge reports regarding the use of DNA nanotechnology for fundamental cell science and related biomedical engineering applications in sensing, bioimaging, cell manipulation, gene therapy, and drug delivery. The text is divided into four parts. Part I surveys the progress of functional DNA nanotechnology tools for cellular recognition. Part II illustrates the use of DNA-based biochemical sensors to monitor and image intracellular molecules and processes. Part III examines the use of DNA to regulate biological functions of individual cells. Part IV elucidates the use of DNA nanotechnology for cell-targeted medical applications. Sample topics covered in DNA Nanotechnology for Cell Research include: Selections and applications of functional nucleic acid toolkits, including DNA/RNA aptamers, DNAzymes, and riboswitches, for cellular recognition, metabolite detection, and liquid biopsy. Developing intelligent DNA nanodevices implemented in living cells for amplified cell imaging, smart intracellular sensing, and in cellulo programmable biocomputing. Harnessing dynamic DNA nanotechnology for non-genetic cell membrane engineering, receptor signaling reprogramming, and cellular behavior regulation. Construction of biocompatible nucleic acid nanostructures as precisely controlled vehicles for drug delivery, immunotherapy, and tissue engineering. Providing an up-to-date tutorial style overview along with a highly valuable in-depth perspective, DNA Nanotechnology for Cell Research is an essential resource for the entire DNA-based nanotechnology community, including analytical chemists, biochemists, materials scientists, and bioengineers.

Appropriate for a wide range of disciplines, from biology to non-biology, law and nursing majors, DNA and Biotechnology uses a straightforward and comprehensive writing style that gives the educated layperson a survey of DNA by presenting a brief history of genetics, a clear outline of techniques that are in use, and highlights of breakthroughs in hot topic scientific discoveries. Engaging and straightforward scientific writing style Comprehensive forensics chapter Parallel Pedagogic material designed to help both readers and teachers Highlights in the latest scientific discoveries Outstanding full-color illustration that walk reader through complex concepts

The Future Factor offers an inspiring, optimistic view of the human future. Sociologist Michael G. Zey shows how breathtaking innovations in fields such as biotechnology, computing, robotics, medicine, energy development and space technology are catapulting global society into a new era of abundance and prosperity. As the third millennium begins, technological breakthroughs provide unprecedented opportunities for growth, profitability and organizational and personal reinvention. However, to stay ahead of the curve and anticipate future developments before competitors and peers do, leaders, companies and individuals must be equipped with the capacity to make informed decisions. In The Future Factor, Zey provides the sophisticated cutting-edge knowledge needed to achieve competitive advantage that individuals require to make career and life choices. Zey paints a big picture of new forces--biogenesis, cybergenesis, species coalescence and dominionization--that are subtly impacting society and the global economy and changing forever the way we live. Among the subjects explored in this wide-ranging book are: the role cybergenisis will play in making humans healthier; the universal communication network based on the Internet and virtual reality; biogenesis, gene therapy and decoding the human genome; "next generation" robots, smart machines and their impact on economic growth; the colonization of space and the advent of "space tourism"; fusion-based energy and its effect on the environment and global economy; global transportation and a worldwide superhighway; and biotechnological breakthroughs in agriculture and food production.