Is "i.e." in this situation incorrect?

Question

I.e. is used when we would like to use a situation as a kind of clarification. Suppose I was to write something like this: > Nano-boxes are used in medical science i.e. cancer treatment, where the nano-boxes are used to inject drugs into cells.The problem, however, is that I would like to refer to an example regarding the cells. How would I write it? Like this? "Nano-boxes are used in medical science i.e. cancer treatment, where the nano-boxes are used to inject drugs into cells i.e. cancer cells." However, I've been told that you cannot have an "i.e." within an "i.e." Are there suggestions on how to write it?

Answer 1

The abbreviation "i.e." means "that is" or "in other words"

The abbreviation "e.g." means "for example"

Your sentence as written:

Nano-boxes are used in medical science i.e. cancer treatment, where nano-boxes are used to inject drugs into cells i.e. cancer cells.

There are actually a number of problems with your usage here. First, both "i.e." requires a comma both before it in most common American usage. Nano-boxes are used in medical science, i.e., cancer treatment.

I believe your second usage of "i.e." should actually be "e.g." because the cancer cells are merely one type of cells that could be injected with drugs. Nano-boxes are used to inject drugs into cells, e.g. cancer cells.

However, be aware that both "i.e." and "e.g." are best used sparingly, as they weaken the flow of the text, especially within technical writing that already contains an abundance of abbreviations. I'd be hesitant to use both of them within one sentence. It would be better to reconstruct the sentence in a way that eliminates the need for them.

For example: Nano boxes are used for medical purposes, such as cancer treatment, where they can inject drugs into cancer cells.