What is nanotechnology in medicinal use?

Nanotechnology is the study of extremely small structures, having size of 0.1 to 100 nm. Nano
medicine is a relatively new field of science and technology. Brief explanation of various types
of pharmaceutical nano systems is given. Classification of nano materials based on their
dimensions is given. An application of Nanotechnology in various fields such as health and
medicine, electronics, energy and environment, is discussed in detail. Applications of nano
particles in drug delivery, protein and peptide delivery, cancer are explained. Applications of
various nano systems in cancer therapy such as carbon nano tube, dendrimers, nano crystal, nano
wire, nano shells etc. are given. The advancement in nano technology helps in the treatment of
neuro degenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Applications
of nano technology in tuberculosis treatment, the clinical application of nanotechnology in
operative dentistry, in ophthalmology, in surgery, visualization, tissue engineering, antibiotic
resistance, immune response are discussed in this article. Nano pharmaceuticals can be used to
detect diseases at much earlier stages.

Drug Delivery

In nanotechnology nano particles are used for site specific drug delivery. In this technique the
required drug dose is used and side-effects are lowered significantly as the active agent is
deposited in the morbid region only. This highly selective approach can reduce costs and pain to
the patients. Thus variety of nano particles such as dendrimers, and nano porous materials find
application. Micelles obtained from block co-polymers, are used for drug encapsulation. They
transport small drug molecules to the desired location. Similarly, nano electromechanical
systems are utilized for the active release of drugs. Iron nano particles or gold shells are finding
important application in the cancer treatment. A targeted medicine reduces the drug consumption
and treatment expenses, making the treatment of patients cost effective.

Nano medicines used for drug delivery, are made up of nano scale particles or molecules which
can improve drug bioavailability. For maximizing bioavailability both at specific places in the
body and over a period of time, molecular targeting is done by nano engineered devices such as
nano robots. The molecules are targeted and delivering of drugs is done with cell precision. In
vivo imaging is another area where Nano tools and devises are being developed for in vivo
imaging. Using nano particle images such as in ultrasound and MRI, nano particles are used as
contrast. The nano engineered materials are being developed for effectively treating illnesses and
diseases such as cancer. With the advancement of nanotechnology, self-assembled biocompatible
nano devices can be created which will detect the cancerous cells and automatically evaluate the
disease, will cure and prepare reports.

Cancer

Due to the small size of nano particles can be of great use in oncology, particularly in imaging.
Nano particles, such as quantum dots, with quantum confinement properties, such as size-tunable
light emission, can be used in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging, to produce
exceptional images of tumor sites. As compared to organic dyes, nano particles are much
brighter and need one light source for excitation. Thus the use of fluorescent quantum dots could
produce a higher contrast image and at a lower cost than organic dyes used as contrast media.
But quantum dots are usually made of quite toxic elements.

Applications in Ophthalmology

The aim of nano medicine is the to monitor, control, construct, repair, defense, and improve
human biological systems at the molecular level, with the help of nano devices and
nanostructures that operate massively in parallel at the unit cell level, in order to achieve medical
benefit. Principles of nanotechnology are applied to nano medicine such as bio mimicry and
pseudo intelligence. Some applications of nanotechnology to ophthalmology are include
treatment of oxidative stress; measurement of intraocular pressure; theragnostics; use of nano
particles for treatment of choroidal new vessels, to prevent scars afte glaucoma surgery, and for
treatment of retinal degenerative disease using gene therapy; prosthetics; and regenerative nano
medicine. Th current therapeutic challenges in drug delivery, postoperative scarring will be
revolutionized with the help of nanotechnology and will help in various unsolved problems such
as sight-restoring therapy for patients with retinal degenerative disease.

Nanotechnology in Medicine Application: Diagnostic Techniques

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: Antibacterial Treatments

Researchers at the University of Houston are developing a technique to kill bacteria using gold
nanoparticles and infrared light. This method may lead to improved cleaning of instruments in
hospital settings.Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are investigating the use of
quantum dots to treat antibiotic resistant infections.

Nanotechnology in Medicine Application: Wound Treatment

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have demonstrated a bandage that applies electrical
pulses to a wound using electricity produced by nanogenerators worn by the patient

For trauma patients with internal bleeding another way to reduce the blood loss is needed.
Researchers at Chase Western Reserve University are developing polymer nanoparticles that act
as synthetic platelets. Lab tests have shown that injection of these synthetic platelets significantly
reduces blood loss.

How can smart clothes be used for medical patients?

Improvement of the quality and efficiency of healthcare in medicine, both at home and in
hospital, is becoming more and more important for patients and society at large. As many
technologies (micro technologies, telecommunication, low-power design, new textiles, and
flexible sensors) are now available, new user-friendly devices can be developed to enhance the
comfort and security of the patient. As clothes and textiles are in direct contact with about 90%
of the skin surface, smart sensors and smart clothes with noninvasive sensors are an attractive
solution for home-based and ambulatory health monitoring. Moreover, wearable devices or smart
homes with exosensors are also potential solutions. All these systems can provide a safe and
comfortable environment for home healthcare, illness prevention, and citizen medicine.The field
of science is developing with every single day. While a lot of monitoring systems still rely on
connecting the wires to the body parts for monitoring health, smart clothes have been developed
by a European team.The smart clothes have embedded sensing devices that collect data via
biosignals in the clothes and connect it to the mobile. This helps the doctors to keep a check on
the patient’s health and be there virtually.The clothes are comfortable, trendy and help in
monitoring the heartbeat of the patient along with body temperature and breathing. This, in turn,
reduces the need for visiting the doctor’s clinic for regular check-ups.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The e-textile or smart clothes reduce the cost of relying on expensive equipment. The smart
clothes can easily track the chronic conditions of the wearer and notify the doctor in case of help.

People tend to become uneasy of staying in the hospital for longer periods of time. With smart
clothes, there would be no need for staying inside the hospital as people can easily get monitored
through their clothes. For example, the cycling shorts can measure the work done by muscles and
respiration can be measured by the chest sensors. The changes in body temperature can be
detected along with stress.

For instance, Heapsylon is a company in Washington which sells bras and t-shirts that consist of
heart rate sensors which collect data during the exercise. The company aims to build up more
smart clothes for collecting a database which can be used for prediction of future illness.
THE NEW TECHNOLOGY

These are functional yet comfortable on the skin. The technology is transparent and is extremely
simple in use. The PPU battery needs to remain charged up and the vest needs to remain attached
to batteries for it to work.The clothes make up for a cable-free system that accurately measures
the progress of the patients over time. The doctors can connect to the patients via video
conference and solve their queries. The clothes eliminate the need for visiting the hospitals for
monitoring health conditions.The smart clothes enable the doctors to measure the reaction of
drugs on patient’s body in real time. The European Union has provided funds for developing
MyHeart project which can possibly help in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.The smart
clothes can even help in fighting problematic areas like the t-shirts can be used for relieving
chronic pain. The smart clothes have become the need of the hour in the healthcare segment.