© 1999 Robert A. Freitas Jr. All Rights Reserved.

Robert A. Freitas Jr., Nanomedicine, Volume I: Basic Capabilities, Landes Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, 1999

7.4.5 Biocellular Messaging

Nanodevices can also directly communicate with cells by intercepting, modulating, or initiating the flow of natural chemical messenger molecules. Because cells are the fundamental unit of biological organization, it is useful first to examine the various modalities of cellular chemical communication in general terms (Section 7.4.5.1). Properly designed and positioned nanodevices can receive chemical messages from cells (Section 7.4.5.2), send chemical messages into cells (Section 7.4.5.3), modulate natural cellular message traffic (Section 7.4.5.4), or communicate directly with neurons (Sections 7.4.5.5 and 7.4.5.6). Information can also be transferred mechanically into the cell via links between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the cytoskeleton in ways that have yet to be fully elucidated.⁹⁴²

Last updated on 19 February 2003