Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to the field of medicine. Nanotechnology is a branch of technology that studies matter at a molecular level with the goal of manipulating this matter for various purposes. When applied to medicine, nanotechnology has the potential to greatly advance treatment of illnesses and improve quality of life overall. The area of nanomedicine was first explored in the 1990s and eventually led to the emergence of nanomedical materials. Nanomaterials used in nanomedical research are extremely small, as they must interact with the human body on an atomic level. Nanomedical research has led to the development of several diagnostic, analytical, and therapeutic tools used to treat medical issues more efficiently. Research into nanomedicine has received billions of dollars in funding in anticipation of its wide potential.

Background

Nanomedicine derives from the science of nanotechnology and the field of nanoscience in general. Nanoscience measures data from matter that is not visible to the unaided eye. Nanoscience studies matter at an atomic or molecular level and is therefore conducted on the nanoscopic scale, or nanoscale, a scale of length ranging between one and one hundred nanometers. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. One atom is less than one nanometer in length, and one nanometer is approximately three atoms long. To compare, a human hair can be 80,000 nanometers in width. To examine such matter, these atoms and molecules must be viewed through a special microscope.

Nanoscience did not enter wider scientific discussion until the mid-twentieth century. At this time, researchers were growing more interested in the structure of atoms and molecules. These extremely tiny particles were a mystery to many scientists. American physicist Richard Feynman was the first to bring the concept of nanoscience to the forefront of scientific discussion. His 1959 lecture at the American Physical Society titled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" proposed scientific manipulation at a molecular level, giving scientists the ability to influence and control individual atoms and molecules. No microscope was powerful enough to view atoms and molecules at the time, however. In 1981, a device known as a scanning tunnel microscope was developed with the ability to view individual atoms. With a clearer picture of atomic particles, scientists were now able to visualize ways to achieve Feynman's goals.

Nanoscience applied to many scientific fields, such as physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering. Continued studies in nanoscience soon gave rise to the idea of nanoscale technology. Scientists focused their energies on figuring out how to develop and engineer devices that were as small as atoms and molecules. These nanoscale technologies were conceived in hopes of finding a way to control matter at the atomic scale. Nanotechnology had the potential to alter chemical structures at the deepest physical level. By understanding how a material operates at its most fundamental level, scientists could take advantage of this knowledge to create improved materials through molecular engineering. By improving a material at the nanoscale, nanotechnology made it possible to strengthen the properties of commercial products so that fewer materials were needed during manufacturing. As the science continued to progress, nanotechnology became applicable to an increasing number of fields, including medicine.

Overview

As the twentieth century came to a close, scientists began focusing on ways to put nanotechnology to medical use. Research into the nanomechanical possibilities within the human body first emerged in the 1990s. By this point, high-resolution microscopes had been invented, allowing scientists to better identify molecular structures. This clarity led to new scientific disciplines, such as microelectronics, biochemistry, and molecular biology. By the 2000s, research into nanotechnology and its application to medicine was receiving government funding. Scientists began to explore the possible uses of nanotechnology in medicine in a number of ways. By applying the concepts of nanotechnology to the treatment of illness, researchers created the field of nanomedicine.

Nanomedicine studied the usage of nanoscale technologies in a healthcare setting and aimed to improve quality of life. Research focused on three primary areas. First, scientists conducted research aimed at developing nanomaterials and nanoinstruments. These devices were conceived to act as biosensors, which detect and analyze chemicals in the body. Such tools could aid the medical treatment process and even transport remedial substances to specific parts of the body. Nanomedicine technologies also held the potential to help the medical community better understand molecular medicine in the areas of genetics, proteomics—or the study of proteins in genes—and microorganisms. Overall, nanomedical studies aimed to create nanotechnologies that could rapidly diagnose illness and then treat the illness. Such devices could also repair material at a genetic level, conduct surgery on cells, and improve physical health.

Scientists believe harnessing nanotechnology for medical purposes could greatly improve how medicine is delivered throughout the body. Modern medicine, such as pills and serums, spreads a treatment throughout the entire body and can have detrimental side effects in the patient taking the medicine. An example is chemotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that utilizes chemical substances to kill cancer cells. Modern chemotherapy requires individuals to expose their entire body to the chemicals that kill cancer cells. This can cause many negative physical effects, as chemotherapy uses very toxic ingredients to effectively eliminate cancerous cells. Nanotechnology could improve chemotherapy treatments by directing the medicine's reach specifically to cancerous sites, thus reducing the toxin's exposure throughout the rest of the body.

As of 2023, nanomedicine was being developed but still in the experimental phase. Several nanomedicine treatments have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, however. Since nanoscience is still considered a young discipline, the success rates of nanomedicine treatments will only be measureable with the passage of time.

Bibliography

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"What Is Nanotechnology?" National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, www.nnin.org/news-events/spotlights/what-nanotechnology. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

"Application of Nanomedicine in Clinical Settings." Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, vol. 11, 26 June 2023, doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1219054. Accessed 21 No. 2024.