Nanobiotechnology and its role in the development of new analytical devices

Physical methods of molecule observation and manipulation will prove useful , not only as research tools for investigating biomolecular structure and b ehavior, but also for the creation of nanostructures. Supramolecular and se lf-assembling structures are able to generate nanostructures, with many suc h systems being of biological origin. They form the interface between nanot echnology and biotechnology. Whereas biotechnological processes usually inv olve populations of cells or molecules, nanotechnological methods operate a t the level of individual molecule manipulation. This article considers wha t advances have been made through cross-fertilisation between nanotechnolog y and biotechnology to develop for the next millennium new analytical tools at the microscale, using nanostructures as the sensitive part and with the ability to detect individual molecules.