Nanomedicine, Vol. IIA: Biocompatibility (Paperback)

~ Robert A. Freitas Jr. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The safety, effectiveness, and utility of medical nanorobotic devices will critically depend upon their biocompatibility with human organs, tissues, cells, and biochemical systems. In this Volume, we broaden the definition of nanomedical biocompatibility to include all of the mechanical, physiological, immunological, cytological, and biochemical responses of the human body to the introduction of artificial medical nanodevices, whether "particulate" (large doses of independent micron-sized individual nanorobots) or "bulk" (nanorobotic organs assembled either as solid objects or built up from trillions of smaller artificial cells or docked nanorobots inside the body) in form.

Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: Landes Bioscience; 1 edition (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570597006
• ISBN-13: 978-1570597008
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,527,783 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A timely contribution to nanotechnology literature., October 14, 2003

By	Robert Bradbury (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Once again Robert A. Freitas, Jr. has turned out a remarkable volume of information (similar to Nanomedicine Volume 1). It is probably useful to have read Nanomedicine Volume 1 before reading Volume IIA, but Volume IIA can be read on its own particularly if one has a biological or medical education. Its emphasis is on whether we can expect nanotechnology based devices to be able to operate within the human body but it also deals with whether or not certain aspects of nanotechnology might be dangerous to biological life in general. I thought the aspects of the book that identified the areas where we lack knowledge at this time to be particularly useful. They pointed out topics that still need to be researched. The book is excellent in suggesting solutions for problems we can anticipate at this time in the area of biocompatibility.

This work is particularly timely because groups such as the ETC Group and Greenpeace have recently released reports that might reflect negatively on nanotechnology. This book provides a partial basis for informed debate on the risks vs. the benefits of nanotechnology. Since medical applications of nanotechnology may save 10's of millions of lives annually -- arguing against it requires very strong arguments. Anyone who has not read this book and attempts to criticize the development of nanotechnology for biological applications can probably be considered poorly informed.

The only criticism that I might list is that the publication may have been somewhat accelerated, perhaps in response to rising criticisms by luddites with respect to nanotechnology, and as a result very interesting information that was intended to be in Volume II, may only appear in Volume IIB. (So I'd perhaps only give the work 4.5 stars due to disappointment over not having more information included -- though if IIA and what I anticipate will be in IIB were combined it would be a very large book).

Disclaimer: My reading of this volume was in a pre-press version.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Technically sound, but editorially not honest, March 14, 2006

By	Ferdinando Scala "Ferdinando Scala, Marketing... (Roma, Italy) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a biologist currently employed as Group Product Manager in a leading pharma/biotech company (top 5 worldwide), I'm interested in progressive developments of nanotechnology applications to medicine.

As such, I purchased both volumes of Nanomedicine of R. Freitas.

The second volume presents itself as a tiny book, whose size could have easily been included in the volume 1. Since I paid each book $ 99, I ask myself whether it was so impossible making it of only one volume.

Deception grows when opening the book.

Half of it is a list of all references cited in the text.

Roughly 150 out of 330 pages are what effectively is involved in Nanomedicine biocompatibility.

Fortunately, the 150 pages left are worthwhile and interesting (and this deserves the 3 stars), but editorial politics is really upsetting.