Nanotechnology in biomedicine

Many diseases are caused by alterations in biological processes at the molecular or nanometric level. Mutated genes, misfolded proteins, and infections caused by viruses or bacteria can produce cellular malfunction, translating into serious diseases. These molecules and infectious agents have a nanometric size and may be located in biological systems protected by nanosized barriers such as the nuclear pore with a diameter of 9 nm.

Nanotechnology is defined as the design, characterization, production and application of materials, structures, devices and systems in the nanometric range (1-100 nm).

The application of nanotechnology to medicine is changing the way we look at cancer:

Nanomedicine is aimed to use the characteristics and physical properties of nanomaterials for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases at the molecular level.

In the figure below you can see some of the most frequently used materials in nanomedicine:

Taken from Kim et al. N Engl J Med 2010

Of particular interest is the one-atom thick layer of graphite, called graphene. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 was awarded jointly to the Russian researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene". Graphene is the basic structural element of carbon nanotubes. Below, you can see a video showing how the medical applications of graphene could be in the future:

MEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanodiagnosis: the diagnosis of some diseases can be improved by using nanoparticles that interact with the molecules related to the disease present in the blood, body fluids or tissues.

Drug release: nanotechnology may be more effective in drug delivery and reaching the target tissue than conventional systems.

Some aspects of the application of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer can be seen in the following video:

Nanotechnology has also potential in regenerative medicine, particularly in the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases, in the development of prosthesis and in the creation of artificial retina.

Other fields where nanotechnology could have application are: treatment of infectious diseases, nanosurgery and odontology.

In the following video a technique using nanoparticles aimed to reduce the toxicity of radiotherapy and improve the effectivity of the treatment is explained: 

The use of nanoparticules raises novel and important ethical concerns regarding mainly the potential toxic side effects in the body and the potential ecological impact on the environment.

Familiarize yourself with the following concepts:

• Definition of nanotechnology
• Principal nanomaterials
• Applications in biomedicine
• Advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology
• Main ethical concerns