NANOTECHNOLOGY - R-AND-D CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR APPLICATIONIN BIOTECHNOLOGY

Physical methods of observing and manipulating individual molecules wi ll prove useful, not only as research tools for investigating biomolec ular structure and behaviour, but also for the creation of nanostructu res through microelectronics, self-assembly and template-directed asse mbly. Nanostructures can also be used as nanoscale bioreactors for syn thesizing or tailoring molecules, and it is becoming possible to follo w and drive biochemical reactions at the molecular level. Nanobiotechn ology is likely to become a growth area for research and development o ver the next few years, with the commercial development of new analyti cal devices and preparative bioreactors.