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Nanotechnology in Health: Nanomedicine, Diagnostics, and Drug Delivery in India

A nanobot developed in Mohali steers itself using light, then delivers cancer treatment only where it is aimed. This is nanomedicine at work.

MCQ Questions

Nanotechnology in Health

1-100 nm

The particle size range that defines nanomedicine

Small enough to cross biological barriers and act inside individual cells.

Nano Mission

Since 2007

DST-led programme funding nanoscience R&D, including medicine.

INST Mohali

Est. 2013

Autonomous DST institute; medical nanotechnology is a core focus.

NIR Nanobot

August 2026

INST’s light-driven nanobot for targeted breast-cancer therapy.

3 Core Uses

Delivery, Diagnostics, Imaging

The three main applications of nanomedicine today.

📑 Contents

Nanomedicine applies nanotechnology, materials and devices sized between 1 and 100 nanometres, to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
Three broad applications dominate nanomedicine: targeted drug delivery, early diagnostics, and medical imaging.
Nanoparticles such as liposomes and polymeric carriers protect drugs from degradation. They also enable site-specific delivery, reducing damage to healthy tissue.
Nanosensors and contrast agents allow ultra-sensitive detection of disease biomarkers, supporting earlier diagnosis.
India’s Nano Mission, launched in May 2007 under the Department of Science and Technology, laid the funding foundation for nanoscience research nationwide, including in medicine.

The Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, is an autonomous institute set up under the Nano Mission. It was established in January 2013, and its campus moved to Sector 81, Mohali, in 2020.
Liposomal doxorubicin, marketed as Doxil, is among the earliest clinically approved nanomedicines. It reduces the heart toxicity linked to conventional chemotherapy.
Some nanoparticle drug-delivery systems already reach patients. But many diagnostic nanosensors and “smart” targeted devices remain at the research stage in India.
Nanomedicine research in India spans several institutes beyond INST, including IIT Roorkee’s Centre for Nanotechnology and the Amity Institute of Nanotechnology, Kolkata. This is related to the broader field covered in SciTech0008 — Robotics and Nanotechnology.

Nanomedicine’s central promise is precision: delivering a drug or therapy only to diseased tissue, not the whole body. This can cut side effects compared with conventional chemotherapy or systemic drugs.
Passive-accumulation nanomedicines rely on a tumour’s leaky blood vessels to build up drugs there. This approach often suffers poor tissue penetration and limited spatial control.
Earlier light-powered micro/nanorobots relied on UV or visible light. This restricted how deep they could work inside the body, and risked damaging healthy tissue.
Near-infrared (NIR) light penetrates tissue more deeply and safely than UV or visible light. This makes NIR-responsive nanorobots a more viable platform for real clinical use.

In August 2026, INST Mohali scientists published a light-driven nanobot for targeted breast cancer therapy, combining nanorobotics with phototherapy. See SciTech0120 — Nano-robots for Targeted Cancer Therapy for the full story, including how the nanobot works and how it fits into India’s wider nanorobotics research.