The use of nanotechnology in medicine offers some exciting possibilities. Some techniques are only imagined, while others are at various stages of testing, or actually being used today.

Nanotechnology in medicine involves applications of nanoparticles currently under development, as well as longer range research that involves the use of manufactured nano-robots to make repairs at the cellular level (sometimes referred to as nanomedicine).

Whatever you call it, the use of nanotechnology in the field of medicine could revolutionize the way we detect and treat damage to the human body and disease in the future, and many techniques only imagined a few years ago are making remarkable progress towards becoming realities.

Nanotechnology in Medicine Application:

One application of nanotechnology in medicine currently being developed involves employing nanoparticles to deliver drugs, heat, light or other substances to specific types of cells (such as cancer cells). Particles are engineered so that they are attracted to diseased cells, which allows direct treatment of those cells. This technique reduces damage to healthy cells in the body and allows for earlier detection of disease.

For example researchers at North Carolina State University are developing a method to deliver cardiac stem cells to damaged heart tissue. They attach nanovesicles that are attracted to an injury to the stem cells to increase the amount of stem cells delivered to an injured tissue.

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute are using antibodies attached to carbon nanotubes in chips to detect cancer cells in the blood stream. The researchers believe this method could be used in simple lab tests that could provide early detection of cancer cells in the bloodstream.

A test for early detection of kidney damage is being developed. The method uses gold nanorods functionalized to attach to the type of protein generated by damaged kidneys. When protein accumulates on the nanorod the color of the nanorod shifts. The test is designed to be done quickly and inexpensively for early detection of a problem.

Nanotechnology in Medicine Application: Cell Repair

Nanorobots could actually be programmed to repair specific diseased cells, functioning in a similar way to antibodies in our natural healing processes.

Nanomedicine is defined as a combination of both science and the technology that utilizes nanoscale structured materials to diagnose, treat and prevent disease and traumatic injury. This field of medicine is particularly interested in addressing challenges and shortcomings of conventional medical treatments including poor bioavailability and target specificity, as well as potential systemic and organ toxicity.

At the nanoscale, these particles exhibit a number of advantageous properties as compared to their bulk counterparts, some of which include:

• Enabling the soluble aqueous dispersions of active, but poorly soluble molecular agents
• Protection from degradation by endogenous defense mechanisms, such as:
• Enzymatic degradation
• Immunodgradation
• Sequestration by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) in the bloodstream
• Acid hydrolysis in the stomach
• Mucociliary clearance in the lungs1
  
• Cellular and subcellular specificity to target specific organs and tissues in the body
• Multimodal; can perform both diagnostic and therapeutic functions simultaneously

Nanomedicine can further be divided into numerous categories, some of which include:

• Nanodiagnostics
• Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery
• Nanorobotic Devices
• Nanogenerators
• Nanodentistry