"Nanotechnology is about small things: medicine usually deals with bigger things - with patients and their diseases. The ultimate goal of all medical sciences is the healing of diseases whenever possible, otherwise the abatement of suffering. The first step of a successful medical treatment is the correct diagnosis of the disease or disease condition, based on clinical knowledge and experience and on diagnostic tools that give insight into macroscopic, microscopic, and biochemical properties of the disease process. Nanomaterials can improve currently available diagnostic applications in medicine and polymerbased nanostructures, especially, have an enormous potential to revolutionize the way clinicians diagnose diseases correctly and efficiently. The second step when treating patients is a powerful and specific therapy that is low in side effects, which can prolong the survival of the patient or lower the burden of the disease. Again, polymer-based nanostructures are very promising novel tools that might change the way certain diseases are being treated. The purpose of this book ... is to summarize the knowledge in this field which was gained in the last few years in many different research labs and to present successful applications of polymer-based supramolecular nanometer-sized structures in medicine, both in diagnostic and therapeutic applications for important diseases such as arteriosclerosis, cancer, infections, or autoimmune disorders."--Preface.