Nanomaterials are usually of a few nanometres dimensions but are of use in various fields including engineering, medicine and healthcare, mechanics and electronics.
Nanoscience has established itself as an emerging technique, which is getting enormous attention by scientists across the world. An advanced research in Nanoscience has revolutionised the present as well as future of medicine. Biomaterials with molecular precision can be fabricated as nanoscale delivery devices, which work by integrating molecular reorganisation and site-specific delivery system. Furthermore, CDDS, drug targetting, enhanced pharmacokinetic properties can be achieved and many properties like optical, magnetic, electronic can be manipulated simply by going down in the dimensions.
Nanomedicine can broadly be defined as the application of nanotechnology in the healthcare sector. It has got various applications such as improving the behaviour of the drug substances, targetted drug treatment for various dreadful diseases like breast cancer, brain cancer, ovarian cancer, kidney diseases for treatment of asthma and emphysema. The major advantages of using nanoparticle are to overcome various difficulties faced with traditionally-used drugs. For example, some drugs have very poor solubility which makes it difficult to administer; some drugs have poor absorbing quality affecting its bioavailability; some are released from the body quiet soon even before performing the required functions; and some are heavily absorbed by other tissues than at the target site requiring administration of a very high dose which soars up the toxicity level of the molecule in the bio-system.
So, nanomedicine is a very simple, realistic yet the most effective approach to all these problems and an exceptional alternative to the orthodox drug delivery system. With recent scientific advancement, it will definitely act as a key to the current century medical and technological progress.
Cell is the fundamental unit of living organisation. All pathological disorders start from the cellular level. So, itRs s of up most importance to understand the disease at a molecular level. It will be fascinating if all the problems can be solved at that level as well, which is how nonoscience works. The size of a cell is between 1 and100 micrometers. So, it would really be interesting and challenging to exploit engineering knowledge to create devices of those dimensions which could heal the disease with a lot more ease. Nanotechnology helps create devices that can work at molecular level with precise three dimensional controls.
Nanorobots in medical sciences
Nanorobot is of nanometer dimensions with mechanical parts of molecular size. Exactly like regular robots, it would require motors and mechanical part for mobility which should be of very small dimensions. In medical practice, these unique tiny devices are required to move through the bloodstream inside the narrowest possible blood capillaries to perform its function. With current scientific attention and efforts, by the year 2020 medical nanorobotics would be an extraordinary yet essential promising device for curing diseases.
As of now, the concept of medical nanorobotics is in its infancy. New developments are demonstrated every now and then, and with diligent effort it will surely carve a path for a very successful curing technique. New advancement in this technique has made it possible to access unreachable part in human body. Target intervention by the nanobots inside human body by travelling through the vascular bed would be the most novel application in medical sciences. But there are many engineering and medical constraints, and development of a superb fabrication technique poses a real challenge to transform this into reality. It may take several more years when these tiny devices would be part of our clinical regime.
Scientists are working on development of artificial mechanical white cells which could travel through the bloodstream and destroy the invading pathogens. If such artificial devices are infused into the bloodstream, specifically designed to target a particular microbe, they can attach themselves to the microbes when they come across it. The explicitly designed nanobots then can transport the engulfed microbes to a particular part and destroy them into some basic elements like amino acids or fatty acids. Excess of these basic elements can be flushed out of the body naturally. Once the job is done, these devices can be directed to leave the body. This process of treatment can reduce the duration and rule out any possibility of developed resistance for the nanobots. They can also be designed to recognise and destroy cancer cells at the target site without harming the other tissues, which would be revolutionary in cancer treatment and diagnosis. This could reduce the difficulties of cancer treatment by several folds and make it very much curable and enhance the patient’s lifespan.
These devices can also be used to repair single cells, modify any genetic defect by replacing any faulty chromosomes with artificially-engineered ones. These devices can enter the nucleus and fix the faulty gene or replace it with a new one, thereby permanently curing the genetic disorder. They can also be used in implants for correcting any bone defects or treating disorders like osteoarthritis. Similarly, programmed nano tubes can be created which can be loaded with growth factors. These tubes then can be targetted to the defective bones or joints, where they will disintegrate, releasing the growth factors for rapid regeneration of the cells.
The concept of nanorobotics, however, seems daunting at the moment. With development of a new technology like molecular manufacturing, it would definitely be a reality in coming years. Molecular manufacturing is a process which includes controlled and precise positioning of atomic structures and assembling nanoparts in a nanofactory. In 1989, IBM scientists managed to precisely position 35 Xenon atoms in a Nikel surface with the help of a scanning tunnelling microscope to spell the logo “IBM”. like any new concept, the whole world was sceptical initially about the use of nanobots in medical science. But gradually, this has been taken seriously, and now there is increasing global investments both in terms of finance and intellect to develop the field. However, the development in this field could restrain the physicians from method treatment and may hamper many pharmaceutical drug researches. But looking at the potential impacts of this field and the benefits it could bring into the field of medicine, the research should be more focussed on it.
Many educational institutes across the globe are now providing courses in naomedicine. The young generation of scientists and physicians can benefit the most out of it. In the orthodox treatment method, the drugs administered have many unwanted side effects, which is always a concern for physicians and patients. These nanomachines, with controlled action and digital precision, will have minimal adverse effects and be averse to developing resistance. This will provide better clinical significance as they can be used not only for curing diseases but also to monitor chronic disease progression as sensors.
Big pharma companies in future can restrain from manufacturing large batches of drugs and shift there focus to produce these tiny devices. They can later be personalised according to the individual needs. These devices, like sensors, can also be used at home as per individual needs with equal ease. So, this technique can relieve physicians and emergency hospital units from dealing with the complex drug monitoring situations regularly. This technique is also not expected to soar up the production cost since molecular manufacturing is quite cheap. At the same time, this technique promotes “green technology”. These devices can be removed from the body with its intact form and, thus, can be used many times for a particular individual. They can also be refurbished as many times as wished. So, there would definitely be cost cut-down if this technique is employed.
So, the field of nanotechnology holds the promise of magnificent benefits if it could successfully be employed in the field of medicine. With the current enormous efforts by scientists and research organisations coming out with huge investment in this field, it’s not far that the big world of medicine would be ruled by these tiny particles, changing our lives for better forever.
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