Today’s one of the innovations in medical technology is nanotechnology. It is being made use for better diagnosing and treating critical diseases such as cancer and other health issues. The technology is based on materials, the single units of which are smaller than 1000 nanometers, but generally smaller than 100 nm.
Nanotechnology permeates virtually in every sector from manufacturing to the food and drinks industry. One of the most nanotechnology applications in medicine is currently being built involves deploying nanoparticles to deliver drugs, heat, light or other substances to specific types of cells, such as cancer cells.
Operating on the atomic and molecular scale, nanotechnology (nanotech) brings the most precise intrusions to industries dealing with health or biology.
Nanotechnology in Diagnoses of Diseases
With its diverse nature, healthcare is the large adopter of the nanotechnology, especially in diagnostics, treatment, and prevention of diseases itself. It is predicted that the global healthcare nanotechnology market will reach from $160 billion in 2018 to over $300 billion by the end of 2025. In recent years, researchers have developed nano-sized diagnostic devices that can be employed throughout the human body which enable medical professionals to monitor levels of toxins or other substances.
It also allows for constant and real-time monitoring of an individual on a very detailed level – which is difficult for doctors to treat – and due to their size, these tiny sensors can enter spaces that are normally complicated to examine, such as the brain. There have been several experiments being done with nanosized robots that can travel through bodily fluids and can work to deliver active substances in a highly effective way.
For instance, researchers at North Carolina State University are developing a method to deliver cardiac stem cells to damaged heart tissue. However, this highly precised approach also brings a revolution in cancer treatment. Even Nanotechnology is improving chemotherapy delivery, as scientists at Michigan State University developed a new way to monitor chemotherapy concentrations that is more effective in keeping patients' treatments within the crucial therapeutic window.
Nanotechnology in Cosmetics and Skin Care
Since nanotechnology has the potential to reverse aging at a cellular level, it has seen a big boom in the cosmetics and skincare industry. Recent years have seen a rise in the use of a different number of nano substances, such as peptides, proteomics, stem cells, epigenetics, among others. Nanotechnology applications in cosmetics and skincare industry are Sunscreen that uses zinc oxide nanoparticles which help in blocking ultraviolet rays while lessening the white coating on the skin; Skin creams that leverages proteins derived from stem cells to thwart aging of the skin. These proteins are encapsulated in liposome nanoparticles which combine with the membranes of skin cells enabling low delivery of the proteins.
Nanotechnology in Conversation & Preservation
Besides healthcare and cosmetics, Nanotechnology brings opportunities to conservation and preservation as well. As being able to disrupt biological processes at the most thorough level, researchers and scientists are working to prevent wilting and improve desired processes, such as the development of an environment unfriendly to bacteria. There has been a lot of progress done in the field of food storage and preservation, as it could condense the possibility of food spoiling or drying out. Even, similar applications could also bolster other industries, including design and art, education, and science.
Briefly, nanotechnology presents many opportunities, from live-saving innovations to more tedious tasks, for the future. It will also be interesting to see how this technology will transform biology sector in years to come.