ABSTRACT
Human health is a result of a complex blend of hereditary, environmental and lifestyle factors. Whereas the society in general is committed to treating human disease, such actions come at a cost. The current demographic trend in most western societies is that the number of retirees grows rapidly, while the fraction of the population that is working declines. Since health care costs escalate late in life, the demographic trends represent a serious problem for western societies. Human ingenuity has led to the development of a plethora of advanced diagnostics and therapeutic approaches that cure or improve the life span of the patient. Human beings are approaching the limit beyond which health care costs cannot be carried by the society alone. Cancer, for example, is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide, being the cause of death for approximately 30% of the population. New approaches for securing human health and life quality will be in high demand. Novel approaches to diagnostics as well as therapeutics are expected to emerge at the interface between nanobiotechnology, biophotonics, materials science, molecular biology, and protein science.
