Current modalities of diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, especially cancer have major limitations such as poor sensitivity or specificity and drug toxicities respectively. Newer and improved methods of cancer detection based on nano particles are being developed. They are used as contrast agents, fluorescent materials, molecular research tools and drugs with targeting antibodies. Paramagnetic nano particles,quantum dots, nano shells and nano somes are few of the nano particles used for diagnostic purposes.Drugs with high toxic potential like cancer chemotherapeutic drugs can be given with a better safety profile with the utility of nanotechnology. These can be made to act specifically at the target tissue by active as well as passive means. Other modalities of therapy such as heat induced ablation of cancer cells by nano shells and gene therapy are also being developed. This review discusses the various platforms of nanotechnology being used in different aspects of medicine like diagnostics and therapeutics. The potential toxicities of the nano particles are also described in addition to hypothetical designs such as respirocytes and micro bivores. The safety of nano medicine is not yet fully defined. However, it is possible that nano medicine in future would play a crucial role in the treatment of human diseases and also in enhancement of normal human physiology.

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