Khoo ML, See KS Kris, Osel Diagnostics, Osel Group
Nanotechnology centred on nanomaterials has unlocked a new age of expertise which influences all areas of human life: Electronics, computers, handphones, nutrition, agriculture, cosmetics, and healthcare. Applications of nanotechnology to medicine are already ongoing and provide great potential known as ‘nanomedicine’ [1].
Prospects of Nanomedicine
Nanomedicine is the use of nanotechnology to attain innovation in healthcare. It employs the characteristics established by a material at its nanometric scale 10-9 m which often vary in terms of physics, chemistry or biology from the similar material at a larger scale.
Furthermore, the nanometric size is also a measure of numerous biological processes in the human body permitting nanoparticles and nanomaterials to possibly cross natural barriers to enter new sites of delivery and to act together with DNA or small proteins at various levels, in blood or inside organs, tissues or cells.
At the nano-scale, the surface-to-volume proportion is such that the surface characteristics turn out to be an inherent factor of the likely activities of a particle or material. Coating of the particles and roles of their surfaces are usually to enhance the biocompatibility of the particle and its flow duration in the blood, as well as to safeguard an extremely selective binding to the desired target.
Nanomedicine has the possibility to allow early detection, prevention and to significantly improve diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of numerous diseases including cancer. Generally, nanomedicine has currently hundreds of products going through clinical trials, encompassing all major diseases involving cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, musculoskeletal and inflammatory. Empowering skills in all healthcare fields, at present there are almost 80 marketed nanomedicine products, extending from nano-delivery and pharmaceutical to medical imaging, diagnostics and biomaterials [2].
Nanomaterials
Nanoscale varies from 100 nm down to the size of atoms (approximately 0.2nm). At this scale the characteristics of materials are not the same from their bulk properties. Therefore, nanomaterials have a comparatively larger surface area when associated with bulk material and for this basis, are more chemically reactive. Certainly, some materials are inactive and turn out to be reactive only in their nano-scale form. Nanomaterials are divided into three categories: Uni-dimensional–nano-scale in one dimension, e.g. extremely thin surface coatings, two-dimensional, e.g., nanowires, nanotubes and three-dimensional, e.g., nanoparticles and buckey balls [3]. Buckey balls were initially created and described by Richard Smalley, Robert Curl, and Harold Kroto in 1985 [4] in which they were awarded the Nobel prize for chemistry in 1996. Buckeyballs (A) are spherical fullerenes (made entirely of carbon), while carbon nanotubes (CNT, also known as buckey tubes) are cylindrical with closed ends (B) and could be single or multi-walled. Carbon nanotubes were encountered by S. Iijima in 1991 [5] and have created substantial interest and immense research in biomedical applications.
(Source: Raffa et al., 2010)
Nanomedicine Influences all Areas of Medicine.
Nanomedicine is known to be a crucial empowering tool for personalized, targeted and regenerative medicine by releasing the next level of latest drugs, treatments and implantable devices to physicians and patients, for genuine breakthroughs in healthcare.
Ahead of that, nanomedicine offers vital novel means to handle the great challenge of an ageing population and is thought to be influential for better-quality and cost-effective healthcare, one key aspect for rendering medicines and treatments accessible and affordable for everyone.
Challenges of Unfulfilled Medical Demands
Men is still combating against many critical and complex diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes as well as various types of severe inflammatory or infectious illnesses (e.g. HIV). Majority of these illnesses have an enormous negative impact not only on the patient themselves but also on the entire society. It is of extreme importance to confront these diseases in a proper way, mostly tackled by the usage of nanomedicine.
Nanomedicine increases high hopes for millions of patients for improved, more effective and reasonably priced healthcare and has the likelihood of providing promising outcomes to countless diseases. Starting from diagnosis to disease monitoring, undergoing surgery and chemotherapy or regenerative medicine, nanotechnologies nearly influence all areas of present medicine.
Some fields of medical care are already gaining from the benefits that nanotechnology can provide. The first nanotechnology-based targeted drug delivery systems are at present in the market, others are undergoing clinical trials, the greatest portion, are in progress. One more extremely attractive topic of nanomedicine is diagnostics at nanoscale. The purpose is to detect a disease at the most initial phase possible. Preferably a single cell with harmful character would be identified and treated or removed. Novel ideas for regenerative medicine provide hope to numerous patients with organ failure or serious injuries. Artificial skin, bone and cartilage are in cutting-edge phase of progress and partially have been marketed [2].
REFERENCES
1. Allhoff F. The coming era of nano medicine. Am J Bioethics. 2009; 9:3–11.
2. Nanomedicine European Technology Platform. https://etp-nanomedicine.eu/about-nanomedicine/what-is-nanomedicine/
3. Raffa V, Vittorio O, Riggio C & Cuschieri A. Progress in nanotechnology for healthcare. Minimally Invasive Therapy 2010; 19:127-135.
4. Kroto HW, Heath JR, O’Brien SC, Curl RF, Smalley RE. C60: Buckminsterfullerene. Nature. 1985; 318:162–3.
5. Iijima S. Helical microtubules of graphitic carbon. Nature. 1991; 354:56-8.
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