Editorial: Nanomedicine: what’s in a definition? ||FREE PAPER||

Thomas J Webster

Divisions of Engineering and Orthopedics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

Welcome to the second issue of the International Journal of Nanomedicine (IJN)! Nanomedicine research is certainly international, as we try to emphasize in each and every issue of IJN. Over the next several issues, this editorial section will take a closer look at various aspects of international nanomedicine research. What a better place to start than its definition.

Although defining a term such as nanomedicine may sound simple, by comparing several main funding agencies from around the world, one quickly realizes that a uniform international definition of nanomedicine does not currently exist. This is typical of a new field, but can be problematic to those trying to understand the field, make significant contributions to it, and especially in how the public views nanomedicine. Clearly an established international gathering of nanomedicine experts would help establish an “internationally acceptable” definition and subsequent criteria for nanomedicine research.