Crossing the Borders of Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine, being pressured by the increasing demands for fighting menacing diseases such as cancer, relies pragmatically on consolidated knowledge, namely on thera- peutic strategies that are at an advanced stage of experimentation. Due to this traditional approach, innovative methodologies rooted in areas such as material sciences, biotech- nology, and nanotechnology suffer from a strong competition. While nanomedicine ex- pectations have raised the bar of excellence in terms of patient-tailored treatments, low patient discomfort and cost-effectiveness, what seems to be needed are smart nano-tools able to interplay with biological systems in a programmable way.