Perspectives of Fullerene Nanotechnology

Abstract

Nanotechnology is the focus of major government research initiatives worldwide, for example in the USA - the National Nanotechnology Initiative ( www.nano.gov ) [1]. It has been recognized that fullerenes and carbon nanotubes are one of the key building blocks for nanoscale materials [2]. Considering the especially rich chemistry of C 60 and its 1 nm dimensions (Figure 1A), one expects that applications of these nanoscale materials to medicine should be possible [3a,b]. This chapter provides an overview of the field of fullerene and carbon nanotube biology, as well as some details on the most advanced current fullerene pharmaceutical applications; new drugs that may lead to human clinical trials in the very near future, see reviews [4, 5].