The futuristic advancement of medicine through nanotechnology

By Harshita Mathur

During the past few hundred years, the human race has made a prospective technological advancement in the study of science. Nanotechnology has evolved our understanding of the molecular structure of atoms and also develop a way to diagnose individual diseased cells or tissues.  

Applications of nanotechnology in medicine:

The application of nanotechnology in medicine has been ascertained to take specific drugs to specific types of cells: they are contrived and programmed in a way that they will explicitly pursue the diseased cells or tissues and will offer direct treatment. Nanotechnology applications also include gene therapy.  A defective gene can lead to disorders and can be sometimes fatal to health: nanorobots, using the intercellular gene delivery within its internal structure, can therefore even correct a defective gene within the body.  

Diagnostic therapies have a very vital application of nanotechnology as well. Many scientists have recently discovered that that they can install sensors which is composed of carbon nanotubes which are embedded in gel and inject in the body. This will help doctors to analyse the nitric oxide level and therefore indicate inflammation. Nanotechnology will thus help in in the detection of inflammation diseases and more. 

The use of nanotubes can also be very efficient in non-evasive surgery. The nanotubes are attached to antibodies which are attracted to the proteins which are produced in cancerous tumours and it can also eradicate the tumours and the cancer cells without harming any nutritious tissues in the body. 

Nanotechnology has applied to the field of dentistry in many different forms, one in which called prosthodontics (a branch of dentistry which deals with the maintenance of oral functions). The use of nanotechnology in dentistry will revolutionise dental treatments and make it highly efficient and open up a whole new aspect of opportunities for dentists to treat their patients.

Advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology:

One of the most significant advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology is the reduction of side effects from medication and surgery. A key factor of this technology is that the mortality and morbidity rate are potentially reduced, and it has also shown the increased level of longevity after the use of nanotechnology.  The morbidity and mortality rate are potentially reduced because nanotechnology can diagnose a problem in the body early, and the early treatment will lessen the impact of the disease in the body and will have a higher effectivity. Nanotechnology can also be beneficial when wanting to perform surgery as it can replace non-evasive procedures. 

As well as having its advantages, nanotechnology can also have serious detrimental impacts on the environment as well as the human body. Scientists and researchers are concerned about the amount of effect on the environment, namely the toxicity, and a long-term exposure in the surroundings.  There is also a risk that if one does not program a nanorobot properly then there is a chance that very harmful events in the body may occur. As nanorobots are very minuscule they are very hard to design and make, and their initial cost is very high. This means that people who really need this type of medicine are not able to afford it.  According to an article published by the ETC group, it is said that an overdose of nanoformulated drugs can lead to very serious problems in various organs/tissues/cells. 

Conclusion:

Nanotechnology is a significant scientific discovery, and it has changed the face of medicine. Though it has its disadvantages, it has created many new opportunities for scientists and researchers, as well as doctors and patients. There are many applications of nanotechnology in medicine, and it is one of the best combinations of technology and biology.  It can not only help in medicine but in many different fields of science such as organic chemistry, semiconductor physics, material science and molecular engineering.  Therefore, through nanotechnology, we can open up a whole new world of possibilities.

References:

www.airtract.com. 

https://www.biotechnologynotes.com/nano-biotechnology/nano-medicine-meaning-advantages-and-disadvantages/809 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/244972  https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/nanotechnology