SMALL
is the new big
NanoFibers
Nanotechnology has a variety of uses. Let us now focus our attention on one field where nanotechnology has experienced considerable breakthroughs - medical uses of nanotechnology.
The precise nature of Nanotechnology would undoubtedly allow for repair works to be done at a cellular level. Using Nanorobots in treatments involve the manipulation of genes and cells to affect their functions and treat diseases. Advancements in this technology would eventually lead to customised treatments tailored to the needs and genetic make-up of individual patients. However, for such specific customisation of treatments to be possible, a certain number of tools need to be further developed for the concept of customised treatments to actualize. Nanotechnology will completely revolutionise the medical industry by making healthcare more efficient and affordable.
One example of Nanomaterials are fibres called Nanofibers that can be used as materials for the construction of medical equipment, artificial organs, transplants and tissues. As of now, the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) has come up with a way to create Nanofibers from proteins. They realized that by adding additional substances, they could control the fibre formation, change its shape and hence affect how it is attached to other molecules. This can potentially improve drug delivery and be useful for its application in the regeneration of human tissues and bones.
One possible application of Nanotechnology in Medicine involves using Nanoparticles to deliver drugs or other types of substances to targeted cells. This also means that it could be a potential solution for the treatment of cancer since such particles are able to be programmed to target the cancer cells. Such Nanoparticles are attracted only to the diseased cells and hence would allow for direct repair on it with minimal damage being done to other functional cells in the body.
The current form of chemotherapy can cause large damage on other cells other than the targeted cancer cells when seeking targeted cells out. It has effects on a large area of cells surrounding the targeted cells and damaging them. Hence even though chemotherapy is effective, it can cause unwanted side effects.
However, Nanomedicine aims to eliminate the chances of damaging other healthy cells of the body. It aims to be precise and only affect the targeted cells. Nanomedicine is already in clinical trials. Besides using this technology for treating cancers, this can also be used for early Alzheimer's detection.
Currently, there are research and lab tests being done to allow nanoparticles to deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells. Human testing however, is still waiting to be approved. CytImmune, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical based in Rockville, MD, and BIND Biosciences have published preliminary results of their first clinical trials of the targeted chemotherapy drug. Another possible way of killing cancer cells is by supplying heat to the cancerous cells. This can be done by attaching Gold Nanorods that contain chemotherapy drugs to DNA strands. When infrared light is shone on these cancer cells, the Nanorods will absorb the light and turn it to heat, which in turn releases the chemotherapy drugs to kill the cancer cell.
This new technology can also be used for aiding doctors to carry out surgeries. Roswell Park Cancer Institute is already studying methods to enable nanoparticles to provide specific imaging for doctors during surgeries. This can be done by combining different dye and the particles will react to tumors to visualise cancerous cells and provide better information for the doctors.
The development of nanorobots that can perform surgery. Research is still currently being done. The robots can be programmed and controlled by surgeons to enter the patient’s system and act as an on site surgeon inside the body. These robots can search and diagnose problems through nanomanipulation. They are connected to an onboard computer while the supervising surgeons coordinate their movement using coded ultra sound signals. In the future, these nanobots can perform precise and refined intracellular surgeries which are currently difficult to do by hands.
Nanotechnology in Medicine
Drug Delivery
Nano
Neurosurgery
Nanowires
Medical
Equipment
The Georgia Institute of Technology has reported that they have designed an implantable Nanowire that is able to record the vital stats of a patient. If there are unusual changes, it will alert both the doctors and patient to take immediate action. Essentially, this would eliminate the need for annual check-ups since Nanowires are constantly monitoring the patient’s vitals. Apart from that, it would undoubtedly be useful for those who are constantly travelling abroad and have no time to visit their specialist for a check-up. Nanowires indeed bring convenience to both patients and doctors.
Application of nanotechnology also manifests itself through infection control. A company called Vestagen Technical Textiles has made scrubs and lab coats with nanosized silicon particles that can repel microscopic materials. Medical personnel in hospitals are protected from 99.9% of hazardous bacteria contained in blood and vomit. This material can keep both medical professions and patients safe from the spread of diseases, thereby increasing national health.
3D printing uses a variety of materials to build objects from scratch, which also means that 3D printing can be used to create valuable tools in the medical industry. One possible implication of this is the ability to build artificial and prosthetic limbs for patients at a lower cost, therefore translating to lower prices for patients. National healthcare will as a result be made more affordable for all, benefitting the general population of the country, especially the have-nots.
Despite concerns over safety in using nano materials, it is believed that it will eventually be overcome with more research and development. So sit back, and brace yourself for the new Era of Nanomedicine.
Nanoparticles
A nanoparticle is defined as a small object that is between 1 and 100 nanometers in size. Nanoparticles have many special properties that are useful in the applications in the medical field. At high temperature, the high surface area to volume ratio of nanoparticles provides a strong driving force for diffusion. This property has allowed it to be applied in drug delivery.
However, there are some safety concerns over the use of Nanomaterials. Since Nanoparticles are so small and mobile that it has the ability to access the brain and other parts of the body, it may lead to serious damage if these particles do not stay where they are supposed to be. Since there is also no way of removing the nanoparticles once it is inserted into the body, these particles will remain in the body until death. Since Nanotechnology is still in this developmental stage, the harm and risks it carries it still quite unknown. Although there are certainly many risks that require assessment, one cannot deny the many possible benefits of Nanotechnology in medicine.
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Reproduced from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvNhK7JRuK0
Reproduced from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyWSEQgTlFk