AN INTRODUCTION TO NANOCOMPUTING - Bio-Inspired and Nanoscale Integrated Computing - page 21

have a good coherence, but then it becomes difficult to get the photons to interact
at all. Another problem is the difficulty of understanding how to develop
algorithms for quantum computation. Some algorithms have been proposed
that use quantum computation, and a few general computing framework are
being proposed for using qubits in a practical setting. Chapter 3 gives a detailed
history of the contributions in quantum computing as well as a discussion of its
theoretical and practical limitations.
1.6. BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS
Recent developments in the field of nanocomputing have laid the groundwork for
technology that will revolutionize modern medicine. The most important biome-
dical research in the latter half of the twentieth century, which culminated in the
publication of the human genome, was driven by an understanding of DNA, our
genetic code. Similarly, nanotechnology has the potential to usher in an age of
nanomedicine, creating a paradigm shift in the way we study and treat disease.
This technology will not come without a heavy price. There are obvious
financial impediments and technical challenges, but moral and ethical concerns
will also play an important role in the development of this field. An excellent
comparison can be drawn with genetically modified foods. A significant amount of
the produce and livestock grown in the United States has been subject to genetic
engineering. While many consider these modifications to be safe, some are still
skeptical. Various nations, particularly some in the European Union, are hesitant
to embrace such technology because of a fear that genetically modified foods are
inherently unsafe and may damage local ecosystems. Some say nanomedicine may
suffer a similar fate. Will governments and health care professionals trust and
endorse this technology? Will individuals be comfortable with nanoscale devices
circulating through their bodies?
Regardless of the public's willingness to accept nanomedicine, few will dispute
its potential to revolutionize the biomedical research. By providing scientists with
new techniques for targeting and attacking virtually every human ailment,
nanocomputing will usher in an age of medicine in which physicians and scientists
can treat disease at a molecular level and attack it in a way never thought possible.
As nanotechnology provides more versatile tools, the rules of engagement for
diseases will change. Physicians and scientists will no longer be hindered by the
small size and tremendous complexity of the human cell, but rather utilize these
features to develop therapies that are more specific and effective, producing better
outcomes with fewer side effects.
1.6.1. Vaults
The future of nanocomputing knows no bounds and its merger with biomedical
research provides unlimited pathways to discovery. It is difficult to imagine an
area in which there is more promise and a greater potential to revolutionize the