Most diseases begin on the cellular level,  so it only makes sense to address them on that level. One approach is to use nanotechnology–incredibly small devices that could detect a disease very early in its progression or precisely target treatments to the disease, leaving healthy tissue unscathed.  The UC Santa Barbara • Sanford-Burnham Center for Nanomedicine was founded to combine engineering, biology, chemistry and other disciplines to create just these sorts of devices. The Center uses cutting-edge research tools to achieve these goals, like the Allosphere, a three-story virtual reality facility where researchers can visualize anatomical structures down to the atomic level. Recently, the Center was highlighted by the online news site Noozhawk, which interviewed Center for Nanonmedicine director Dr. Jamey Marth.

“We are excited about new ways to diagnose diseases and get drugs to the right places,” Marth said. “These are all things that are needed to get a good control of and to develop the future of health care.”

Read more about the Center: UCSB’s Center for Nanomedicine Plants Seeds of Economic Development in Goleta Valley.