Nanotech: Deeper Into Its Aspects
How Nanomaterials and Nanomedicine Work Together
“Nanotechnology”. When you see this word , you think of things or robots being at an EXTREMELY small-scale level, and this is what you see:
Well, you’re not wrong….. but, there is SO much more science and aspects of nanotech that I bet you have never heard of! So, finally, let me take you on this journey to learn more about two things under nanotech:
- Nanomaterials
- Nanomedicine
A Little Overview
I know you guys are extremely excited to be on this journey, but first, let me refresh your memory of what nanotech is.
Nanotechnology is the branch of technology that deals with operating at the nanoscale level. The nanoscale level measures the dimensions between 1–100 nanometers. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. An example would be a strand of hair, or a water drop. The very microscale level is what makes nanotechnology so unique. If you don’t know, we use nanotech in our daily lives. For example, it is used in sensors, temperature scales, and even in your washing machine! Nanotech is mainly used in the healthcare industry and in the space industry too.
If you want to learn more about the general topic of nanotech, go check out my article: A Quick Intro To The World Of Nanotechnology
Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials are used everywhere from healthcare industry to electronics. Nanomaterials are extremely small in size, but they can cause huge impacts and they are necessary to create nanomedicine, which is medicine used to cure diseases or illnesses that are very small or harder to identify. The particles in nanomaterials are engineered to be at a very small and compact level, so that they can be created into materials that will also stay small. It is very important that the materials, when fully made, stay really small, so that it can go through substances, and barriers easily. Especially in the healthcare industry, these nanomaterials are manufactured so they can pass through the layers of the skin, and pass through the blood barriers.
4 Categories of Nanomaterials
There are four sections in which nanomaterials have been categorized:
Dendrimers
These are nano-sized polymer fibres with a common pattern and structure, which becomes spherical, and it has many branching units. These work well for drug-delivery, because it enhances trapping and releasing of the drug. Check out more about “Dendrimers for Drug Delivery”
Composites
These are nanomaterials that are used when nanoparticles and nano molecules are needed to be combined with nanoparticles that are bigger in size. A composite is like a shirt, because to create a shirt, you need to join a specific type of particle to another, or to another type of material. It is mostly used to enhance. the strength of the material.
Carbon Based Nanomaterials
As it already says in the name, this category of nanomaterials, is substantially made up of carbon. They are usually spheres or pipes. Graphene, one of the most used nanomaterials, is actually a carbon-based material.
Metal Based Nanomaterials
As it says in the title, metal-based materials are made from different types of metals, and the unique thing is even the nanoparticles are pure metal. These nanomaterials include quantum dots, nanosilver, titanium dioxide and many more. These nanomaterials are usually very strong and have high biocompatibility.
Examples of Nanomaterials & Cool Facts About Them 😲
Graphene
- the thinnest material known to earth
- it’s just one atom thick
- mathematically, it is 2-dimensional
- it is not a rare material
- in 0.03 inches of graphite, the lead in your pencil, there are approximately 3 million layers of graphene
- currently being tested for drug delivery & DNA sequencing
Quantum Dots
- they enhance the lighting in TV screens
- they are usually known as nanocrystals
- quantum dots produce light that is very pure and specific
- there are studies that shows QD’s to be important in cancer treatments and in place of organic dyes
Nanomedicine & Nanomaterials Working Together
Nanomedicine is the use of nanomaterials and nanoparticles to combine with medicine. When combined, these packages of nanomedicines are carried or delivered to the part of the body, where it is necessary. Now you might think, why do we need nanomedicine for this, or why can’t doctors just use machinery to treat a mutation or disease? Well, the most important reason for why nanomedicine is 10x more convenient and easier, is that since it is so small, it can travel very easily inside the body, and it can target or identify the specific point or tumour in the body. Nanomaterials are extremely small, so when medicine/drugs are combined with them, they become into small packages. This helps the surrounding healthy tissues and cells to be safe, since the medicine is only travelling to where it is needed.
Drug Delivery & Cancer Treatments
You may have heard that nanomedicine can be a great system for drug-delivery. “Drug delivery systems are engineered technologies for the targeted delivery and/or controlled release of therapeutic agents.” The nanomaterials that are best-suited for drug delivery include dendrimers and polymeric nanoparticles.
Estimated numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in 2020 (In 2020, there will be an estimated 1.8 million new cancer cases diagnosed and 606,520 cancer deaths in the United States.)
Cancer is a big problem in the world. Many treatments have been made, but they don’t necessarily cure cancer and they take a extremely long time. This is when nanomedicine comes in! Nanomedicine is now becoming more and more familiar and researched to use for cancer treatments. The drug-delivery system with nanotechnology would attack just the cancer cells, whereas with chemotherapy those drugs attack all cells, whether they are healthy or not, which is one of the biggest problems nanomedicine solves. This treatment with nanomedicine would be much faster, and less painful, which is why this is a great alternative to chemotherapy or surgery.
Nanotechnology has shown some of the best abilities in the healthcare industry. Even though it is still being deeply researched and experimented, it will be one of the best technologies in the next few years. Cancer is a HUGE problem, but with nanotech, we can definitely solve it!
Nanotechnology in medicine is going to have a major impact on the survival of human race. — Bernard Marcus
Resources
Check out this video: Nanoparticle-based drug delivery in the fight against cancer
Check out this talk by Richard Feynman: There’s Plenty of Room in the Bottom
Check out this article by UOW: Drug-Delivery
My Contacts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riannakalra
Email: rianna.kalra@gmail.com
