The science of nanotechnology involves developing and manipulating materials on the same scale at which our bodies carry out the chemical reactions that keep us alive. Researchers want to use nanomaterials — materials with dimensions smaller than 100 nanometers — for all sorts of applications related to health and disease. Biomedical engineer Dr. Shuming Nie thinks that in the coming years, the biggest advances in battling diseases like cancer will come from the world of the very, very small.