Biology and Medicines

The range of applications for nanotechnology is broad. In food and agriculture, nanotechnology is used for smart packaging, nanosensors, nanopesticides, and nanofertilizers to improve food quality as well as safety and promote crop growth. In wastewater treatment, nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and nanomembranes remove pollutants such as heavy metals, organic contaminants, and microorganisms. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have been developed to increase the bioactivity and bioavailability of organic and inorganic nanocarriers, and to enable their selective targeting. New trends include advanced micro/nanobiomachines with applications in gene regulation, self-assembly structures, and molecular motors. Additionally, green nanotechnology, sustainable materials, and AI-driven nanotoxicity predictions were developed to make the synthesis of products safer, more sustainable, and more economically efficient, as well as to increase the safety of these products for humans. Nanomaterials used in nearly all applications, as well as environmental nanoparticles, may come into contact with living organisms.

This section of Nanomaterials deals with the biological effects of all kinds of nanomaterials on living organisms. Submissions related to a better understanding of nanomaterial-induced adverse biological effects or the development of nanomaterials with desired biological actions are invited to the “Biology and Medicines” Section of Nanomaterials.