ABSTRACT
Medical practice is entering a new era focused on the nanoscale, more specifically on the practice of “nanomedicine.” In fact, many areas within nanomedicine are believed to be a healthcare game-changer by offering patients access to precision medicine. Just as different ethical issues exist for preventive medicine versus curative or therapeutic medicine, there exist very different kinds of ethical issues that arise out of diagnostic nanomedicine versus therapeutic nanomedicine. Interventions based on nanotechnologies likely will resurrect old questions about human enhancement, human dignity, and justice that have been asked many times before in the context of pharmaceutic research, stem cell research, artificial life, and gene therapy. The chapter outlines a range of potential ethical issues for preventive and therapeutic nanomedicine that may occur as these nanotechnologies move from the laboratory to the clinic. Specific focus is on the ethical question of enhancement versus therapy, the risk for and benefits of nanotechnologies in health care, and privacy and confidentiality.
