Customer Reviews

Nanomedicine, Volume I: Basic Capabilities

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Serving as a reviewer for this book has been one of the most enjoyable and self-educating activities I've had over the last year. It takes a lot to stretch my imagination and this book certainly accomplished that. I have read the pre-press version of 8 of the 10 chapters in Volume I (1: The Prospect of Nanomedicine, 3: Molecular Transport and Sortation, 4: Nanosensors and Nanoscale Scanning, 6: Power, 7: Communication, 8: Navigation, 9: Manipulation & Locomotion, and 10: Other Basic Capabilities). The basic impression I am left with after reading this material is "wow, now here is a book that turns science fiction into reality".

This book serves to introduce and lay the foundation for nanomedicine - the use, in medicine, of bacteria sized programmable machines, constructed using molecular nanotechnology. It is a highly readable exploration of a field that will play an important role in the evolution of our species. It is also a technical reference with hundreds of equations and thousands of citations. The material covers the possibilities and limits of how nanoscale robots (nanobots) may function in the repair, maintenance and eventual augmentation of the human body.

Nanomedicine will be of interest to physicians, physicists, chemists, biologists, bioengineers as well as nonscientists who wonder how advanced technology may be used to solve currently unsolved problems in medicine. Anyone who considers themselves a "futurist" or who is interested in aspects of nanotechnology should consider the book "required reading". Even individuals who doubt the possibility of molecular nanoassembly will find this series useful due to the quantity and diversity of material relating to computing, human physiology, molecular biology and nanoscale physics that are brought together.

This books stands in a class with Moravec's "Mind Children", Drexler's "Nanosystems" and Finch's "Longevity, Senescence and the Genome" and such classic textbooks as "Molecular Biology of the Gene" and "Molecular Biology of the Cell". I highly recomend Nanomedicine.

I'm hardly an authority on "wet" nanotechnology. Just a humble enthusiast. However, I believe that both professional and laypeople will find this a fascinating, insightful, and educational read. As Drexler stated in the book's forward, NANOMEDICINE required a comprehensive & multi-disciplinary perspective. Freitas provides one, in spades. If only 10% of the predictions made in the book come to pass, we will have a very exciting & daunting future. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !

The term nanotechnology is used to describe a variety of nanoscale technologies. Molecular nanotechnology has been defined as the three-dimensional positional control of molecular structure to create materials and devices to molecular precision - the ability to construct objects with atomic-scale control.

The availability of molecular nanotechnology will usher in an unprecedented era of dramatic progress in the way medical care is provided. More than just an extension of "molecular medicine," nanomedicine will employ molecular machine systems to address medical problems, and will use molecular knowledge to maintain and improve human health at the molecular scale. Nanomedicine will have extraordinary and far-reaching implications for the medical profession, for the definition of disease, and for the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions including aging.

The hallmark of medicine up to the present time has been the establishment of a delicate synergy between the tools of the physician/surgeon and those of nature. In most cases, however, one is forced to concede that we doctors have had to rely chiefly on the bodyÕs own self-repair capabilities. The best example, perhaps, is the recognition that antibiotics will not perform their intended function in the absence of an intact immune system.

The coming ability to carry out targeted medical procedures at the molecular level will bring unprecedented power to the practice of medicine, and promises to dominate medical technology research in the coming decades as much or more than even the Human Genome Project.

Nanomedicine (volume 1) is the first book-length technical discussion of the potential medical applications of molecular nanotechnology and medical nanorobotics. It is meant to help us to frame the research issues that must be addressed, and to develop a knowledge base with which to proceed on the path toward medical nanotechnology.

The author, Robert Freitas Jr., has degrees in physics, psychology, and law, and has written on a diverse set of scientific, engineering, and legal topics, including a NASA feasibility analysis of self-replicating space factories. He later authored the first detailed technical design study of a medical nanorobot ever published in a refereed biomedical journal.

When completed, Nanomedicine will be a three-volume technical work with 31 chapters. Its intended audience is technical and professional people with a serious interest in the future of medical technology. The three volumes build upon each other cumulatively. The first Volume, the subject of this review, describes basic capabilities common to all medical nanodevices, and the physical, chemical, thermodynamic, mechanical, and biological limits of such devices. Its primary audience is physical scientists, chemists, biochemists, and biomedical engineers engaged in basic research. The second Volume, still in progress, deals with aspects of device control and configuration, biocompatibility and safety issues, and basic nanomedical components and simple systems. Its primary audience will be systems and control engineers, research physiologists, clinical laboratory analysts, biotechnologists, and biomedical engineers doing applied research. The third Volume, also in progress, discusses the use of nanomedical technology in clinical medicine. Its primary audience is clinical specialists and clinician-scientists.

Volume I of Nanomedicine, Basic Capabilities, begins with a comprehensive and thoughtful account of the underpinnings of modern medicine. Chapter 1, The Prospect of Nanomedicine, defines the field of nanomedicine and its objectives. Several thought experiments are employed to help the reader develop an intuitive appreciation of time, space, and mechanics in the microworld, where nanorobots will be operating. The goals of our current "molecular medicine" are carefully distinguished from the goals of nanomedicine. The evolution of the concept of nanomedicine and cell repair machines is discussed as the natural culmination of several thousand years of medical discovery and innovation. The chapter finishes with an overview of the entire three volume series.

Since nanomachines cannot yet be built, it is important to establish that such devices are in fact feasible, and that their design, fabrication, and operation violate no physical laws and will obey sound engineering principles. Chapter 2, Pathways to Nanomedicine, begins with a discussion of a number of classical objections to nanotechnology such as quantum mechanics, which after careful consideration, are resolved satisfactorily. Next, precursor technologies to nanotechnology and nanomedicine, such as micromachines/MEMS, telemicrosurgery, and tissue engineering, are briefly considered. This is followed by an introduction to the concept of molecular manufacturing. The chapter concludes with brief descriptions of molecular machine parts, nanocomponents, and nanomaterials. Surgeons and other clinical specialists should have little trouble in following the authorÕs discussion to this point. These chapters, though, are followed by a necessarily terse and detailed elaboration of the set of basic capabilities of molecular machine systems that may be required by medical nanorobotic devices. These latter chapters will be best appreciated by those in biomedical engineering or the physical sciences. The capabilities discussed include the abilities to recognize, sort and transport important molecules (Chapter 3); sense the environment (Chapter 4); alter shape or surface texture (Chapter 5); generate onboard energy to power effective robotic functions (Chapter 6); communicate with doctors, patients, and other nanorobots (Chapter 7); navigate throughout the human body, i.e. determining location within vessels, organs, tissues, or cells (Chapter 8); manipulate microscopic objects and move about inside a human body (Chapter 9); and timekeep, perform computations, disable living cells and viruses, and operate at various pressures and temperatures (Chapter 10).

Many of the concepts presented by Dr. Freitas, if not the underlying premise itself, atomic-scale control, are sure to engender controversy. The implications for the future of medicine, would be profound should the technical and theoretical underpinnings of nanomedicine prove to be correct. Given the current pace of development in nanotechnologies generally, the future of medicine really does appear to be nothing short of awesome. Seen in this context, Nanomedicine by Robert Freitas is a must read. It is the authoritative roadmap to the future of medicine.

The author seems to cover molecular biology, physics, and engineering with equally impressive expertise. Prior to purchasing this book I thought "How can someone write so much on a field that arguably does not yet exist?" I was surprised at just how much thought has gone into the many facets of nanotechnology and nanomedicine -- regardless of the fact that we do not yet have the ability to implement most of the technology being discussed.

The title is perhaps a bit misleading. I would say this book is just as good a primer on nanotech in general as it is on nanomedicine. Many engineering issues are discussed, including power requirements, communication, heat dissipation, and mechanical strength. And, while many ideas are presented in a biological context (for instance, fluid drag is discussed in the context of navigating the blood stream), the information has applicability to nearly any type of nano-engineering.

The information presented is EXTENSIVELY referenced, and by skipping over the mathematical formulas, should be easily understood by someone with a basic background in biology and/or physics/engineering. I highly recommend this book.

...

I'm a research engineer with a major U.S. corporation, and I think that Nanomedicine is an awesome book - Freitas obviously did a huge amount of work in writing this book. It isn't light reading - you need a college-level scientific education to really understand it, but even those without a technical background will appreciate the solid foundation that this provides for the tremendous advances that advanced nanotechnology will make possible. At any rate, if you want to understand the coming nanotechnology revolution in medicine, you must read this book.

I was very surprised by two recent reviewers who gave this excellent book an unfavorable rating. They obviously grossly misunderstood this book, apparently confining their long-term view of nanotechnology's contribution to 21st century medicine to the self-assembly of cleverly functionalized nanoparticles, such as the dendrimers being developed at UofM. Such nanoparticles will undoubtedly be very useful over the next few years, but for those of us who plan to predict to future by making it happen, we welcome Freitas' intricately detailed book. This book (and the series) is a vitally necessary foundation for ongoing research into active nanoscale devices that will incorporate nanoscale sensors, molecule-by-molecule reagent separations, molecular electronics, etc. One critic's comment about the left-handed DNA image on the cover reveals that this "reviewer" has not even opened the book. Freitas' use of the "wrong" DNA image was as purposeful as the humans pictured with seven fingers on the spine. He laments at the "left handed DNA" website (www.lecb.ncifcrf.gov/~toms/Leftyear2004.html) that "apparently these artistic subtleties have been lost on some readers."

If you're interested in the medical applications of molecular
nanotechnology, and willing to endure some heavy-duty
technical details, then "Nanomedicine" is nothing less than
required reading. At the time this review was written (April
of 2002), there is simply no other book that even comes close.

I had the honor of reviewing the drafts of chapter five (in
volume one). Even in the draft stage, it was clear that this
was not just another science-fiction fantasy. Filled with

equations, examples, citations, and specifics, "Nanomedicine"
is the only book available today which directly addresses the
needs of researchers who are courageous enough to start
working right now on medical applications within this field.

For those interested in molecular (or "strong") nanotech,
there are other books well worth having -- not the least of
which is Eric Drexler's "Nanosystems". For technical details
about medical applications, however, nothing else comes close
these days to the output from Rob's beloved old Amiga.

No book this ambitious could possibly avoid all controversy,
but I'm confident that the overall work will easily survive
the eventual test of developing working devices. ...

Better books may be written someday, but for now, no one should

consider themselves knowledgeable about this field without at
least knowing about "Nanomedicine". It's that good...

Get this book if you are at all interested in the emerging and world changing field of nanomedicine or nanotechnology. This book is THE foundation for nanomedicine. I used the hard cover version as a textbook in my seminar last semester. It was a wonderful resource. An amazing vision! I am glad that it is available in the more affordable soft cover version. It is exactly the same as the hard cover at a lower price. See the excellent reviews under the hard cover edition.

This is an extremely comprehensive and scholarly work (of which there are 2 more volumes)on the subject of nanotechnology, especially as it can be applied to medicine. It is not however, an easy read. I am nothing intellectually close to the audience that this is written for, yet I have an expanded understanding of not only current technology, but also what the possiblities are. For the curious jr. scientist, or the real deal, this is an amazing book that can begin your journey into what I believe is the next great wave of technology of the 21st century.

I am uncertain of the wisdom of writing such a detailed book on technologies that mostly seem a couple of decades away.
But this book is a bargain even if you ignore the parts of it that deal with medicine.
Chapter 2 is by far the best survey I've seen of research that might constitute important steps toward a molecular assembler.
Section 6.5.7 takes only one page to present a strong argument which implies that almost all other discussions of global warming are asking the wrong questions.

Nanotechnology is one of the most rapidly evolving fields in science, after a long period of gestation from 1950s on.

The applications of nanotech to medicine promise to be astonishing: better and longer lives, organ replacement without any immunogenicity, cancer defeating; and even a new type of human being, built up by biological and non-biological parts, in what is called singularity.

The field is so complex and has so many and widespread implications that, in the very latest period, a number of publication at different levels of depth is appearing.

This one is the first of an ambitious project dedicated to nanomedical applications. The volume is preceded by a skyhigh introduction, in which the possibilities of nanomedicine are depicted, and a sort of working plan traced.

What follows is an overwhelmingly quantity of data, which can be only appreciated and understood by readers with a deep background in sciences (MSc or PhD levels), owed to the great emphasis on chemistry, physics and physical chemistry.

The start is good and I sincerely hope that next volumes are at the same level.

For specialists only.