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

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

8.5.2 Cytoidentification

Before entering and navigating a cell, a medical nanorobot must first determine whether the cell belongs to the patient or is a foreign cell (Section 8.5.2.1). The nanorobot must also determine which type of cell it has encountered, either to verify its location in a desired target organ or tissue, or to ensure that a targeted cell type has been found (Section 8.5.2.2). Fortunately, the plasma membrane (the cell's outermost coat; Section 8.5.3.2) is an open book for nanodevices equipped to read it.

Last updated on 20 February 2003