The 5th SBE International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (ICBN 2010) was held at the Biopolis in Singapore from August 2-4, 2010. Over 300 delegates from around the world convened at this multidisciplinary conference organized by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, to showcase the latest cutting-edge research advances.