Ray Kurzweil has proposed a nanobiotechnology research program to replace the cell nucleus and ribosome machinery with a nanocomputer and nanobot to prevent diseases and aging and another program to create defensive technologies against rogue designer viruses.

Scientists have developed what they say could become the world's smallest medical kit: a computer, made of DNA, that can diagnose disease and automatically dispense medicine to treat it. The computer, so small that one trillion would fit into a drop of water, now works only in a test tube, and it could be decades before something like it is ready for practical use. But it offers an intriguing glimpse of a future in which molecular machines operate inside people, spotting diseases and treating them before noticeable symptoms even appear.

In a new study, nanotechnology proponents suggest replacing human blood cells with specially programmed nanobots that would perform all of the same functions as natural blood cells as well as providing enhanced resistance to infection and eradication of vascular diseases.

Nanotechnology could improve medical diagnostics vastly within the next two or three years.

Scientists are studying how nanotechnology can fight sudden invasions of brown tide and other forms of algae harmful to the seafood industry.

A \"smart\" pill capable of diagnosing cancer and ulcers when inside the human
stomach has been developed by scientists at Glasgow University. The battery-powered silicon capsule has been created using nanotechnology to fabricate tiny components which send radio signals to an electronic receiver.

The Navy is funding a team of scientists to build molecule-sized probes that bind to and wirelessly monitor individual neurons in living brains. If successful, the devices might one day help those with spinal injuries reconnect mind and muscle.

MICROSCOPIC submarines powered by bacteria could zip round the body delivering drugs and zapping tumours, say researchers in Utah who are developing a novel biomotor.

Swiss researchers have created a tiny machine that can physically bend DNA to do its work. This tiny robot could diagnose medical conditions, read genes or operate microscopic valves for precise drug delivery.

NASA and the National Cancer Institute are working on developing a nanotechnological probe that can detect, diagnose and treat disease here on Earth and in space. The development of such technologies will improve life on Earth and one day revolutionize medicine and space travel.