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Approximately 99 per cent of medicinal molecules don't reach their targets and subsequently, stay in the body of the patient. As these molecules can sometimes be very toxic - particularly in the case of those designed to target cancers - research is being undertaken into more effective ways of safely transporting and delivering drugs.

A challenge for nanotechnology in this research is to create a device which can carry a drug payload to it's target, be monitored throughout it's journey and deliver, without being attacked and destroyed by the body's natural defences.