Dovepress must satisfy many requirements, including being of low toxicity, being efficacious, specific, and soluble, before it can be considered a viable candidate for clinical trials. The staggering costs of developing a drug result from the need to satisfy all the requirements simultaneously. Recent estimates of the cost of designing a drug range between US$3000 and 11,500 million.48 This constraint has resulted in the low number of primary drugs currently available. One of the best known examples of a nanodelivery agent is Abraxane®,49 a drug-polymer (albumin) blend that encapsulates paclitaxel in a polymer matrix that simultaneously increases the effective solubility of the paclitaxel while reducing the toxic effects of free paclitaxel.50 Nanodelivery agents are designed following a number of alternative chemical strategies, including covalent linking of bioactive drugs and homogeneous and heterogeneous encap- sulation of the bioactive payload.51 Nanodelivery devices can be designed (eg, controlling the device size) or decorated (eg, adding specific markers – such as folic acid – or anti- bodies) to target-specific sites.52 Sometimes, these targeted nanoparticles are combined with imaging agents that aid monitoring the evolution of the nanodevice in the patient’s body.53 Nanodelivery devices combining multiple function- alities in a single scaffold are giving rise to a new generation of controllable platforms that can be activated using external sources (eg, laser heating).54 However, external triggering mechanisms have many limitations, including limited depth of penetration and possible side effects. Autonomous targeted nanodelivery agents (which could be understood as the sim- plest conceivable nanorobots) will take full advantage of a nanoplatform’s technological capabilities by operating in deep tissues and even reporting the completion of the delivery process from within the site of action. Nanoinformatics has a clear role in the scientific inquiry, design, and technological development of nanoparticle production.55 Similarly, it can be associated with the recording and analysis of experimental test results from the delivery of nanoparticles to different biomedical and ecological targets and contexts56 (eventually taking organism–microbiome interactions into account). Implantable devices Various types of nanodevices – nanorobots, for instance – can be designed for monitoring specific diseases.57–59 The field is still in its infancy, with existing prototypes showing proof of principle for targeted transport for biomedical applications. These devices can serve to mitigate toxicity by detecting modifications in biomedical parameters and releasing a drug International Journal of Nanomedicine 2012:7 Nanoinformatics: a new area of research in nanomedicine under favorable conditions. The implantable device would require tailoring to a patient’s individual response by moni- toring, for example, information related to the patient’s gene expression, proteome, and/or metabolome.41 Diagnosis and prevention The interactions between nanoparticles and biological molecules in living organisms may have properties that make them particularly useful for diagnosing specific pathological conditions in certain diseases. For instance, luminescent nanoparticle quantum dots (QDs) can be engineered to bind to specific molecules, both in vitro and in vivo. The links between the in vitro and in vivo research can help in the diagnosis and therapy of major diseases47 such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and diabetes, as well as many other applications. Known biomarkers based on reported patient data can be correlated with disease pathology. This kind of decision support is an advanced area of research in BMI that can be extended very naturally to nanomedicine.20,39,60,61 Therapeutics Nanotherapies can be less invasive than classical drug thera- pies and may require lower dosage levels. Improvements in efficacy can help reduce the side effects of many current drugs as nano-based clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of nanotherapies and evaluated their toxicity relative to existing formulations. The authors have participated in related research for almost a decade, in testing the potential of clinico-genomic integration for designing models of clinical trials in the new context of genomic medicine.62 Computer- ized records, guidelines, and protocols must be designed for such nano-applications to integrate antimicrobial and antibacteriological information. Linked to both simulation and clinical trial results, these nanoinformatics applications could help identify and compensate for individual reactions to these pathogens and support the needed clinical guidelines.24,41,63 Materials Many nanomaterials are particles or designed structures, rather than biomolecules. Some properties that make these nanomaterials useful for biomedical applications include enhanced mechanical, optical, magnetic, and electrical characteristics. Analytical studies carried out to determine the biological interactions between specific nanoparticles and cell physiology should help in the design of new nanomedical approaches.64 New biomaterials can also be used in implants for replacement therapy and in regenerative medicine.65 submit your manuscript | www.dovepress.com Dovepress 3869