Current Applications of Nanotechnology in Medicine - Essay Example

Current Applications of Na chnology in Medicine s Submitted by s: Thesis ment: Cancer na chnology; small technology that is set to make big advances. Introduction Nanotechnology refers to any technology that exists on a nanoscale that has applications in the real world and it incorporates the production and application of physical, biological and chemical systems at varying scales from individual atoms or molecules to dimensions that are submicron. It also includes the combination of the nanostructures that result from this into systems that are larger (Bhushan, 2007, p. 1). This type of technology has likelihood of having intense on the economy and the society in the years to come when compared to the technology that is available in the semiconductor technology, cellular or molecular biology or information technology. Some of the initial uses of nanotechnology have encompassed the use of antimicrobial coatings that are usually made of nanoparticulate silver on would dressings to stop infections and on items like catheters to stop the biofilms from forming (Krebs, 2010, p. 55). There has been work that has been directed at finding whether silver nanoparticle could be applied to wounds in a direct manner. In the medical field, nanotechnology has been applied in a variety of areas that include imaging and heating, soft tissue repair, orthopaedics, dentistry as well as surgery and drug delivery. The idea behind nanotech imaging is fairly direct in that it tags nanoparticles that show up in x-rays and MRIs with suitable antibodies and allow them to find the cells that are being looked for. In the research that involves imaging and heating of the cancer cells, the cells that are tagged absorb laser light more than the normal cells do making it easy for them to be killed by heat with a laser (Cleaveland, 2007). Nanotechnology in the treatment of cancer The biological perception of cancer is quickly evolving from disease models that are created from descriptions that are phenomenological to become network models that result from system biology that have the ability to capture the changing pathophysiology of the disease at the molecular level. The diffusion of this perception into a clinically relevant structure may have an enabling effect on the fight against cancer even though it remains a scientific and technological challenge. Nanotherapeutic approaches that are supposed to enhance efficiency while at the same time reducing the toxic side effects that are linked with the chemotherapies that treat cancer are being sought. Nanotechnology is being used in the treatment of cancer in two wide areas that include the development of nanovectors like nanoparticles that may contain medications or imaging agents which are directed at tumours as well as high output nanosensor tools that may be used to detect the biological signs linked to cancerous cells. A combination of these technologies has the capability to lead the diagnosis being made earlier enough and also to better treatment for the patients that suffer from cancer (Disc, 2004). Most of the efforts that seek to improve the treatment of cancer through the use of nanotechnology are still at the research stage though the endeavour to make the treatment a reality is highly focused (Varadan, Chen and Xie, 2008, p. 7). For instance, the Alliance of Nanotechnology in Cancer that was started by the United States National Cancer Institute is nurturing innovation and cooperation among a broad variety of researchers to address some of the main limitations in the implementation of nanotechnology to cancer. Additionally, there are many academic institutions and companies all over the globe that are pursuing research in this area (Understandingnano.com, 2007). There is a possibility that these efforts will result in the near elimination of cancer in the next couple of years the same way smallpox was nearly eliminated through the use of vaccines in the previous century. Thomas Kipps who is a cancer biologist at the University of California state, “there is tremendous potential here, I hope it does not just turn out to be hype” (Service, 2005, p. 1132). Use of nanotechnology in diagnosis Advances in the diagnosis of cancer are already progressive in laboratories all around the world and universities such as Harvard have been reported to be using arrays of silicon based nanowire devices to detect small levels of marker protein which are more in the cancer cells that are present in blood serum electronically. The sensors which were being used were the nanowire-based field effect transistors that resemble the ones that are used in computer chips and they work through the application of a voltage to a small electrode that regulates the flow of charges between the other electrodes (Service, 2005, p. 1133). The silicon nanowires that carry charge are then dotted with monoclonal antibodies which are particular for the cancer proteins and when the proteins connect with the antibodies, the electric charges in the protein change the conductance of the silicon nanowires signalling the existence and concentration of cancer markers (Service, 2005, p. 1133). The nanowires which are semiconductors have dimensions that resemble those of DNA or the carbon nanotubes but unlike the carbon nanotubes, the nanowires have a higher amount of chemical flexibility and this provides for the development of electronic attributes that are designed. Nanowires have the capacity to be switched on and off by the employing gate voltage and they also function as field effect transistors (Srinivas, Barker and Srivastava, 2002). The attachment that occurs of chemical or biological species to the surface of the nanowires depletes or accumulates the carriers while the charge that exists in the carrier concentration as a result of the binding can be examined through measuring the conductance of the nanowire. This property provides for simultaneous detection and monitoring of the ligand receptor binding as well as the protein binding (Srinivas, Barker and Srivastava, 2002). Use of nanotechnology in visualization Tracking movement can assist in concluding if drugs are being distributed in the best way and if substances are being metabolized but tracking a minute group of cell all over the body is an intricate task that forced scientists to use dyes in the cells. The dyes that were utilized required having properties that would allow them to be excited by light of a particular wavelength so that they could be visible. Different colours of the dye absorb particular frequencies of light and this meant that there had to be multiple light sources that matched the number of cells. Luminescent tags are the answer to this problem since they are dotted quantum which have an attachment to proteins and have the ability to enter through the membranes of cells. The magnitude of the spots is unsystematic and the materials used to make them are bio-inert since they exhibit the nanoscale characteristic which implies colour depends on magnitude. Therefore the sizes are chosen so that the frequency of the light required to make a group of quantum lights illuminate is an even product of the frequency that is needed to make a different group glow. This means that the two groups can be lit with the same source of light and they have also discovered a way to insert nanoparticles into the parts of the body that are affected so that these parts can glow and show the growth or shrinkage of the tumour or the organ that is affected. Potential future of nanomedicine Nanomedicine will affect all the areas of public health which is tasked with preventing diseases and prolonging life as well as the promotion of health and efficiency through efforts that are organized at the community level. Monitoring the advances that will be taking place as far as nanomedicine is concerned will assist in influencing the determinants of health, objectives as well as outcomes through epidemiologic surveillance which will make it possible for researchers to measure their effect on population health (Moghimi, Hunter and Murray, 2005). The technology will also change the manner in which people arrive at health decisions since it will reduce the scepticism concerning risks and benefits of some medical treatments and procedures. People will be more open to these approaches to treatment if they are successful and will be more trusting in the outcomes associated with them. There should also be continued and thorough research towards this field so that the environmental and human implications can be appreciated. This is because some of the nanoparticles associated with the nanotechnology might have more persistence in the environment than others and this underscores the need for more research and information on the management of risk (Pautler and Brenner, 2010). Risks associated with nanomedicine Nanomedicine is a new field that has the potential to deliver vital health results though it needs to be regulated in a proper manner if the advantages associated with it are to be achieved to the maximum while avoiding exposure of the patients and the environment to risks that are unnecessary. The materials that are utilized in this technology are typically reactive and have more ability to penetrate cells than the larger ones of the same chemicals. Despite the fact that these properties provide new medical opportunities, they are also the sources of new risks which are supposed to be managed. Their rate of reactivity means that these materials have a larger potential to be toxic that the larger particles that come from the same chemical (NATIONAL TOXICS NETWORK, 2014). Conclusion The delivery of multiple drugs using nanoparticles is designed to reduce the cases of relapsing cancers while improving the efficiency of the treatment of several types of cancer. The existing approaches to the treatment of cancer have been developed a basis for the next step of cancer nanomedicine and the balanced design as far as nanomaterial combinations of drugs are concerned (Ho, 2014). Up to the time when these nanoparticles will be confirmed in the clinic, the effect that this technology will have on the treatment of cancer is yet to be fully appreciated (Ho, 2014). This is important since combinatorial therapy is an effective manner to concurrently deal with the challenges to the success of treatment and it is broadly employed in the treatment of cancer and other diseases that are infectious in nature. Bibliography Bhushan, B. 2007, Springer handbook of nanotechnology, 1st ed. Springer, Berlin. Cleaveland, P. 2007, Nanotechnology: Huge Future for Small Innovation, [online] Connection.ebscohost.com, Available at: http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/26518506/nanotechnology-huge-future- small-innovation [Accessed 9 Jul. 2014]. Disc, N. 2004, Cancer nanotechnology: small, but heading for the big time, Nature Rev. Drug. Disc, 3, pp.711--716. Ho, D. 2014, Fighting Cancer with Nanomedicine, [online] The Scientist, Available at: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/39488/title/Fighting-Cancer- with-Nanomedicine/ [Accessed 9 Jul. 2014]. Krebs, J. 2010, Nanotechnologies and Food: First Report of Session 2009-10: Volume II: Evidence. January 2010, 1st ed. Moghimi, S., Hunter, A. and Murray, J. 2005, Nanomedicine: current status and future prospects. The FASEB Journal, 19(3), pp.311--330. NATIONAL TOXICS NETWORK, 2014, Nanomedicine: new solutions or new problems?. [online] Available at: http://www.ntn.org.au/contributor-stories/nanomedicine-new- solutions-or-new-problems [Accessed 9 Jul. 2014]. Pautler, M. and Brenner, S. 2010, Nanomedicine: promises and challenges for the future of public health. International journal of nanomedicine, 5, p.803. Service, R. 2005, Materials and biology. Nanotechnology takes aim at cancer. Science (New York, NY), 310(5751), p.1132. Srinivas, P., Barker, P. and Srivastava, S. 2002, Nanotechnology in early detection of cancer. Laboratory Investigation, 82(5), pp.657--662. Understandingnano.com, 2007, Nanotechnology in Cancer Treatment. [online] Available at: http://www.understandingnano.com/cancer-treatment-nanotechnology.html [Accessed 9 Jul. 2014]. Varadan, V., Chen, L. and Xie, J. 2008, Nanomedicine, 1st ed. Wiley, Chichester, U.K. Figure 1: Modulation of lymphatic distribution of subcutaneously injected polystyrene nanoparticles (45 nm in diameter) in rats by prior surface modification with a synthetic co-polymer (Moghimi, Hunter and Murray, 2005). Read More