Medical Nanotechnology

Man has gone so far in terms of coming up with ways to preserve human life. Although there are still diseases that remain an enigma to medical science, still, treating illnesses from simple to severe conditions has become a lot easier. Among the most notable medical triumphs of modern-day science is the evolutionary concept and application of medical nanotechnology.

Medical nanotechnology or nanomedicine is the medical aspect or application of nanotechnology using different approaches such as nanoelectronic biosensors, nanomaterials, and a very futuristic but underdeveloped molecular nanotechnology that includes molecular manufacturing. Medical nanotechnology aims to provide cheaper yet quality health and medical equipment, facilities, and treatment strategies through continuous researches and studies. A lot of pharmaceutical and medical companies all over the world have already adhered to medical nanotechnology because of its numerous benefits and practical uses.

What Are the Benefits of Medical Nanotechnology?

Although some are still skeptical about the technology, scientists and researchers over continents have been practicing medicine using nanotechnology due to its numerous benefits. Some of these benefits to the medical field include the following:

• With nanotechnology, tools and equipment for surgery and diagnostic would be a lot cheaper yet remain to be effective and state of the art. Medical research and processes require highly advanced equipment that could be very expensive but once the equipment is fully developed, its manufacturing would be a lot easier and faster with the use of nanotechnology. The creation of complex tools that can diagnose serious diseases with a single laboratory test would minimize diagnostic costs and treatment. Using tiny nano-built sensors inserted to the human body for direct contact with the source of ailment would definitely make medical treatments easier and cheaper.
• With medical nanotechnology, treatment would be more efficient and precise. Instead of opening the whole body area for surgical purposes, a microscopic nanotool would spare the patient from bloody and risky surgical process. With nanotechnology in the medical field, treatment would be precise, eliminating trial-and-error drug prescription. With a single laboratory test and highly technical computers, a detailed image of the body’s system and processes can be automatically spotted including the cause of the disease and its possible treatment. With nanotechnology in the fields of medicine, medical malpractice would be eliminated and the side effects of taking medicines out of sheer guessing from the physicians would be avoided.
• With highly advanced medical equipment, potential diseases can easily be detected and prevented.
• Since diseases can be prevented, the quality of life for mankind would be improved and lifespan would be increased.
• With the application of nanotechnology in medicine, replacement of body organs using machines smaller than body cells can be possible. Because of advanced nanotechnology, candidates for organ replacement and augmentation will receive far better body organs enhanced by tiny machines introduced to the body for better organ performance and functions.
• Medical nanotechnology can largely contribute to genetic therapy and improvement. Diseases can be easily treated if approached at the genetic level. So instead of treating diseases based on the symptoms, nanotechnology will help medical practitioners treat the problem by looking at the root cause.

Nanotechnologies for Medical Applications

In the past, medical treatments have been the result of adopting those techniques that worked and discarding those that didn’t. Today, the improved knowledge of how the body functions at the cellular level is leading to many new and better medical techniques.

Earlier Detection

For example, we know that the earlier a disease can be detected, the easier it is to remedy. To achieve this, research is focusing on introducing into the body specially designed nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are composed of tiny fluorescent 'quantum dots' that are 'bound' to targeting antibodies. In turn, these antibodies bind to diseased cells. When this happens, the quantum dots fluoresce brightly. This fluorescence can be picked up by new, specially developed, advanced imaging systems, enabling the accurate pinpointing of a disease even at a very early stage.

Faster Diagnosis

Nanotechnology is also leading to faster diagnosis. Diagnosis can be a lengthy and stressful business, usually with a test sample having to be sent away for analysis. The results can take several days or even weeks to arrive.

Nanotechnology is enabling much faster and more precise diagnosis, as many tests can be built into a single, often palm-sized device that only requires tiny quantities of sample. This device is sometimes called a 'lab-on-a-chip', and samples can be processed and analysed so rapidly that the results can be read out almost instantaneously.

Targeted Drug Delivery

People often complain that the cure for a disease can feel almost as bad as the disease itself, as prescription drugs may have unpleasant side effects. This is because the body needs to be flooded with very high doses of a drug in order to ensure that a sufficient volume reaches the site of the disease.

Accurate targeting of the drug can now be achieved, using specially designed drug-carrying nanoparticles. This also means that much smaller quantities of a drug are necessary, reducing toxicity to the body. The drug is then activated only at the disease site (such as a tumour) by light or other means, and the progress of the cure can also be monitored using advanced the imaging techniques.

Nanotechnology in the Environment

Nanotechnology offers some really exciting breakthroughs in environmentally friendly technologies. Examples range from extracting renewable energy from the sun to the prevention of pollution. Geoffrey Sacks, the American Economist, in his 2007 BBC Reith lectures entitled 'Bursting at the Seams', commented:

"The fate of the planet is not a spectator sport". We live in an interconnected world, where all parts of the world are affected by what happens in all other parts"

There is no doubt that the pressures we are putting on the planet are leading to potentially catastrophic consequences. In the developed world, we have grown accustomed to using our car to go to the shops, take weekend cruises and even day trips to far-flung places that might have taken three or more months to reach before air travel became commonplace. We like our vegetables and fruit out of season, and increasingly expect to eat meat at least once a day, if not more. We haven’t thought about the effects of these activities on the planet. In the past, the planet could absorb our excesses, but with the ongoing destruction of the rainforest (which is responsible for 25% of carbon emissions) and the population of the world reaching over 6.3 billion, the earth is showing signs of being unable to bounce back from the demands we are placing on it.

Preserving the Planet

So what can we do to limit the damage and ensure a future for our children? Firstly, the bad news. The fossil fuel that oils our everyday lives is responsible for 44% of the carbon dioxide we emit annually. The good news is that energy from sunlight is sufficient to meet our needs ten thousand times over. Today, more efficient and cheaper solar energy collectors are in the process of being developed using nanotechnology. These collectors could be deployed as small units in our homes. They work particularly well in diffuse light, so would suit even less sunny climates. This would have the benefit of not sterilizing precious land (a diminishing resource for food), and quickly improve the quality of many people’s lives, especially in poorer housing or in the less developed world.

Energy Storage

Not only do we need new ways of generating energy, we need better ways of storing it. Nanotechnology is leading to improved, environmentally-friendly batteries and supercapacitors. We also need to reduce damage to the environment. Particularly toxic are those chemicals we use as solvents. Nanotechnology is leading to their eradication through the development new nanocoatings and nano structured surfaces that can effectively repel dirt and other contaminants.

Coating metals which prevent corrosion also seriously affect the environment. Many anti-corrosion coatings involve chromium and cadmium, both deadly substances which the EU is seeking to limit. Of course, vehicle and component producers are keen to find alternatives, as recycling of toxic compounds is costly and unpleasant. New smart nanocoatings are in the process of being developed that are non-toxic and highly effective. Serious contamination of the environment with heavy metals and other pollutants are thrown into the atmosphere from the fumes and smoke being emitted from industrial processes. It is encouraging to note that most of these particles and gases (including carbon dioxide) can be 'scrubbed' out - and even reclaimed and reused, using specially functionalised nanomaterials, placed in the waste gas stream.

Monitoring

Finally, given the old adage, if you can't measure it, you can't control it. Fast, accurate, in-situ and online pollution monitoring is essential. New, cheap nanosensors are being developed from techniques used in medicine, that will enable us to do this quickly, effectively and cost effectively.