What is nanotechnology?

Engineering matter at the scale of atoms and molecules, from drug-carrying nanoparticles to tiny molecular machines. It spans lipid nanoparticle delivery, nanomedicine, nanomaterials, molecular machines, dna nanotechnology, atomically precise manufacturing.

Is nanotechnology research growing?

Papers in the field (OpenAlex) over the last 12 complete months changed by -6.1% against the 12 months before.

Nanotechnology

Q: How mature is nanotechnology?

Early commercial. The EU approved KOSTAIVE, a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine using Arcturus's LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery, in February 2025.

Early commercialmomentum 12957 papers in 3 months (-6% yearly)$200M raised in 12 months16 companies

Engineering matter at the scale of atoms and molecules, from drug-carrying nanoparticles to tiny molecular machines.

Why early commercial: The EU approved KOSTAIVE, a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine using Arcturus's LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery, in February 2025. Feb 14, 2025

Papers per monthOpenAlex journal and conference papers; January includes papers dated by year only; the last two months are still filling in

Dots under a month: dated events tracked here that month.

16 events

Date	Event	Kind
May 2026
May 21	Nanobiotix prices an oversubscribed EUR 85M global offeringsec.gov· Funding	Funding
Mar 2026
Mar 30	First randomized Phase 2 data for JNJ-1900 in stage 3 lung cancersec.gov· Milestone	Milestone
Feb 2026
Feb 25	Lipid nanoparticles engineered to deliver RNA to the pancreasnature.com· Breakthrough	Breakthrough
Jan 2026
Jan 8	Acuitas takes a majority stake in RNA Technologies & Therapeuticsacuitastx.com· Deal	Deal
Dec 2025
Dec 15	XOMA Royalty agrees to acquire Generation Biosec.gov· Deal	Deal
Sep 2025
Sep 29	ReCode Therapeutics closes over $29M to advance inhaled mRNA therapiesrecodetx.com· Funding	Funding
Jul 2025
Jul 31	A molecular machine directs the synthesis of a catenanedoi.org· Breakthrough	Breakthrough
Jul 7	European regulators reclassify NBTXR3 from device to medicinal productsec.gov· Policy	Policy
Jun 2025
Jun 19	Targeted LNPs generate CAR-T cells inside the bodydoi.org· Breakthrough	Breakthrough
May 2025
May 15	First patient treated with a personalized base editor delivered by lipid nanoparticleschop.edu· Milestone	Milestone
Mar 2025
Mar 17	Nanobiotix amends its NBTXR3 licensing deal with Johnson & Johnsonsec.gov· Deal	Deal
Feb 2025
Feb 14	EU approves KOSTAIVE, the first self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccinenewsroom.csl.com· Product	Product
Jan 2025
Jan 15	Artificial molecular motor turns catalysis into directed motionnature.com· Breakthrough	Breakthrough
Dec 2024
Dec 11	Placenta-targeted mRNA lipid nanoparticles ease pre-eclampsia in micenature.com· Breakthrough	Breakthrough
May 2024
May 14	FDA accepts protocol for Phase 2 NBTXR3 study in stage 3 lung cancersec.gov· Milestone	Milestone
Feb 2024
Feb 15	DNA coatings act as a clutch for a gold nanomachinenature.com· Breakthrough	Breakthrough

About nanotechnology here

Sub-areas: Lipid nanoparticle delivery, Nanomedicine, Nanomaterials, Molecular machines, DNA nanotechnology, Atomically precise manufacturing
Stage evidence: Early commercial, Feb 14, 2025: The EU approved KOSTAIVE, a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine using Arcturus's LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery, in February 2025. newsroom.csl.com
Momentum: 12 of 100: the mean of its ranks among the tracked fields for paper growth (31), funding in 12 months (6) and events in 90 days (0). Method
Papers: 4,295 in the 12 months ending two months ago, -6% against the 12 before (OpenAlex topics, journal and conference papers).
Tracked here since: Sep 25, 2026

Changes to this field

Date	Change	By	Source
Sep 25, 2026	NanotechnologyTechnology: Added	seed	newsroom.csl.com

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