NanomedicineCenter.com

Current uses of nanomedicine

When we hear the word ‘nanotechnology‘ or ‘nanomedicine‘, we think of something powerful and of something that the scientists are working on. ‘Nano*’ seems distant to most people and is thought of as something that has yet to be discovered. However, some divisions of nanomedicine are nowdays in research, pre-clinical or clinical phases. The human race has already started to benefit from nanomedicine, although most people don’t know it. Of course, this is a slow-paced dance and will take a lot of time to see nanomedicine in it’s full potential.

DISEASE DETECTION

Quantum dots are going to be used as devices to recognize ‘bad’ (cancer) cells and are currently in the research phase. These dots are able to emit a light similar to infrared. They travel through the body and they CAN be seen by the infrared scanner. When these come to the clinical phase, they will enormously reduce the use of radioactive materials which are being used for diagnostics at the moment. Of course, the results that we would be able to get with quantum dots would be way more precise and accurate than the ones we get today using radioactive devices.

Nanotechnology (nanomedicine) can also offer cancer cells detection on a much improved level. Nowdays, detection of cancer requires 1 million cancel cells to be present to be discovered. Nanodevices are able to reduce that number to 1,000.

DISEASE TREATMENT

Along with cancer cells detection, cancer treatment will be highly improved. Research on clinical mice has shown that a targeted nanoparticle injected in the bloodstream was successful with removing the prostate cancer.

DRUG DELIVERY

Research has shown that special substances which are now toxic when injected with non-toxic substances will become acceptable to various systems. It is also predicted that specially designed nanoparticles will be able to detect abnormalities and such.

CONCLUSION

Nanomedicine is a subfield of nanotechnology that the human race will get the most benefit from. It is being constanly researched and new discoveries are being presented every day. Nanomedicine is used today in a small amount, but time can only tell what nanomedicine potential is or will be. I am sure that it’s huge.

What is nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a subfield of applied science whose theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular levels (usually 100 nanometers and smaller) and producing devices within that size range.

HISTORY OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanotechnology (not the term) and it’s concepts were first mentioned in a talk called „There’s plenty of room at the bottom“ by Richard Feynman on December 29, 1959. Mr. Feynman described a process that might result in developing individual atoms and molecules, using sets of precise tools to operate another proportionally smaller set and so on to the needed scale.

The term „nanotechnology“ was defined by Professor Norio Taniguchi of Tokyo Science University in 1974. Afterwards, it was explored in much more depth by Dr. K. Eric Dexler who promoted the significance of nanotechnology in his books and papers.

NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY

Nanobiotechnology is a subfiled of nanotechnology with biological or biochemical applications.

NANOMETER

One nanometer (nm) is 10-9 of a meter. To put it in context, a nanometer is the amount of a man’s beard grows in the time it takes him to raise his razor to his face.

MOLECULAR NANOTECHNOLOGY

Molecular nanotechnology is the concept of engineered nanomachines operating on the molecular scale. It is also called molecular manufacturing. It is associated with the molecular assembler – a machine that can produce a structure atom-by-atom using the principles of mechanosyntesis.

APPROACHES

DNA nanotechnology – constructing well-defined structures out of DNA and other nuclear acids

Supramolecular chemistry and molecular recognition are used to cause single-molecule elements transform themselves into some useful conformation.