Cancer nanotechnology, the use of molecular tools designed to combat the disease, is a growing field.

Recently, the National Cancer Institute announced two waves of funding for nanotech training and research, and it sees nanotechnology as vital to its goal of "eliminating suffering and death from cancer by 2015."

In recent years, much has been learned about how cancer works at the cellular level, meaning that molecules that detect and destroy cancer cells could eventually make painful and ineffective treatments a thing of the past.

Cancer Detection

The first generation of cancer nanotech applications will most likely concern detection. Nanoparticles could recognize a cancer's molecular signatures, or adhere to hidden cancerous cells, making them visible to an MRI or fluorescent light.

Cancer Destruction

Eventually, nanoparticles could be made which not only find those cells, but also destroy them.

Such applications could include:

• Metallic molecules that adhere to cancer cells, and can then be heated with microwaves, a magnetic field, or infrared light, destroying the tumor without harm to surrounding tissue
• Molecular envelopes for chemical compounds that would otherwise be toxic to ingest
• Nanoparticles that carry other therapeutic chemicals on their surface to targeted areas

It is difficult to guess how soon cancer nanotechnologies will be commercially available. The research is still in early stages, and safety testing is difficult.