Nanotechnology in cardiovascular medicine

Nanotechnology is a new field of science and technology that has already had significant impact in the development of novel products in industry. In medicine, application of nanotechnology has the potential to develop new imaging agents, pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices with unique physical and chemical properties. This article reviews the potential for various nanoparticles in cardiovascular imaging and therapeutics, nanoporous structures for sensing and implant based drug delivery, and self-assembled monolayers for surface modification and implant based drug delivery. (C) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.