While the usual suspects bang on about how the US government needs to spend billions to create a molecular assembler, the minions of Uncle Sam are putting in place a more modest $144.5 million plan in the belief that nanotechnology just might provide the edge needed to defeat cancer. We think its a sensible move. Much of what we need to defeat cancer is already in place, and the solution will not come from hoards of nanobots with cancer zappers.
More likely it will come from improved understanding of the mechanisms of cancer growth, better targeted delivery systems and perhaps, more effective compounds. Medicine and biotechnology will provide the building blocks, nanotechnology may provide a keener edge to the tools we have, but not the entire solution.
Its also worth remembering that cancer treatment starts with detection. The earlier a cancer is detected, the greater the chance of remediation, and as we are already seeing with improved MRI contrast agents this is an area where nanotech can have an almost immediate impact.