Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. Nanomedicine ranges from the medical applications of nanomaterials and biological devices,to nanoelectronic biosensors,and even possible future applications of molecular nanotechnology such as biological machines. Current problems for nanomedicine involve understanding the issues related to toxicity and environmental impact of nanoscale materials.
Microbotics is the field of miniature robotics,in particular mobile robots with characteristic dimensions less than 1 mm. The term can also be used for robots capable of handling micrometer size components.
Nanobiotechnology,bionanotechnology,and nanobiology are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology. Given that the subject is one that has only emerged very recently,bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology serve as blanket terms for various related technologies.
Nanochemistry is an emerging sub-discipline of the chemical and material sciences that deals with the development of new methods for creating nanoscale materials. The term "nanochemistry" was first used by Ozin in 1992 as 'the uses of chemical synthesis to reproducibly afford nanomaterials from the atom "up",contrary to the nanoengineering and nanophysics approach that operates from the bulk "down"'. Nanochemistry focuses on solid-state chemistry that emphasizes synthesis of building blocks that are dependent on size,surface,shape,and defect properties,rather than the actual production of matter. Atomic and molecular properties mainly deal with the degrees of freedom of atoms in the periodic table. However,nanochemistry introduced other degrees of freedom that controls material's behaviors by transformation into solutions. Nanoscale objects exhibit novel material properties,largely as a consequence of their finite small size. Several chemical modifications on nanometer-scaled structures approve size dependent effects.
Drug delivery refers to approaches,formulations,manufacturing techniques,storage systems,and technologies involved in transporting a pharmaceutical compound to its target site to achieve a desired therapeutic effect. Principles related to drug preparation,route of administration,site-specific targeting,metabolism,and toxicity are used to optimize efficacy and safety,and to improve patient convenience and compliance. Drug delivery is aimed at altering a drug's pharmacokinetics and specificity by formulating it with different excipients,drug carriers,and medical devices. There is additional emphasis on increasing the bioavailability and duration of action of a drug to improve therapeutic outcomes. Some research has also been focused on improving safety for the person administering the medication. For example,several types of microneedle patches have been developed for administering vaccines and other medications to reduce the risk of needlestick injury.
Targeted drug delivery,sometimes called smart drug delivery,is a method of delivering medication to a patient in a manner that increases the concentration of the medication in some parts of the body relative to others. This means of delivery is largely founded on nanomedicine,which plans to employ nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery in order to combat the downfalls of conventional drug delivery. These nanoparticles would be loaded with drugs and targeted to specific parts of the body where there is solely diseased tissue,thereby avoiding interaction with healthy tissue. The goal of a targeted drug delivery system is to prolong,localize,target and have a protected drug interaction with the diseased tissue. The conventional drug delivery system is the absorption of the drug across a biological membrane,whereas the targeted release system releases the drug in a dosage form. The advantages to the targeted release system is the reduction in the frequency of the dosages taken by the patient,having a more uniform effect of the drug,reduction of drug side-effects,and reduced fluctuation in circulating drug levels. The disadvantage of the system is high cost,which makes productivity more difficult,and the reduced ability to adjust the dosages.
Jonathan S. Dordick is an institute professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and holds joint appointments in the departments of biomedical engineering and biological sciences. In 2008 he became director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. In 2012 Dordick became the vice president for research at RPI. He became Special Advisor to the RPI President for Strategic Initiatives in 2018,
Nanotoxicology is the study of the toxicity of nanomaterials. Because of quantum size effects and large surface area to volume ratio,nanomaterials have unique properties compared with their larger counterparts that affect their toxicity. Of the possible hazards,inhalation exposure appears to present the most concern,with animal studies showing pulmonary effects such as inflammation,fibrosis,and carcinogenicity for some nanomaterials. Skin contact and ingestion exposure are also a concern.
Joseph Wang is an American biomedical engineer and inventor. He is a Distinguished Professor,SAIC Endowed Chair,and former Chair of the Department of Nanoengineering at the University of California,San Diego,who specialised in nanomachines,biosensors,nano-bioelectronics,wearable devices,and electrochemistry. He is also the Director of the UCSD Center of Wearable Sensors and co-director of the UCSD Center of Mobile Health Systems and Applications (CMSA).
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are nanoparticles composed of lipids. They are a novel pharmaceutical drug delivery system,and a novel pharmaceutical formulation. LNPs as a drug delivery vehicle were first approved in 2018 for the siRNA drug Onpattro. LNPs became more widely known in late 2020,as some COVID-19 vaccines that use RNA vaccine technology coat the fragile mRNA strands with PEGylated lipid nanoparticles as their delivery vehicle.
A nanoparticle–biomolecule conjugate is a nanoparticle with biomolecules attached to its surface. Nanoparticles are minuscule particles,typically measured in nanometers (nm),that are used in nanobiotechnology to explore the functions of biomolecules. Properties of the ultrafine particles are characterized by the components on their surfaces more so than larger structures,such as cells,due to large surface area-to-volume ratios. Large surface area-to-volume-ratios of nanoparticles optimize the potential for interactions with biomolecules.
Martina Heide Stenzel is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She is also a Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) University Ambassador. She became editor for the Australian Journal of Chemistry in 2008 and has served as Scientific Editor and as of 2021,as Editorial Board Chair of RSC Materials Horizons.
Nanocomposite hydrogels are nanomaterial-filled,hydrated,polymeric networks that exhibit higher elasticity and strength relative to traditionally made hydrogels. A range of natural and synthetic polymers are used to design nanocomposite network. By controlling the interactions between nanoparticles and polymer chains,a range of physical,chemical,and biological properties can be engineered. The combination of organic (polymer) and inorganic (clay) structure gives these hydrogels improved physical,chemical,electrical,biological,and swelling/de-swelling properties that cannot be achieved by either material alone. Inspired by flexible biological tissues,researchers incorporate carbon-based,polymeric,ceramic and/or metallic nanomaterials to give these hydrogels superior characteristics like optical properties and stimulus-sensitivity which can potentially be very helpful to medical and mechanical fields.
Nanosponges are a type of nanoparticle,often a synthesized carbon-containing polymer. They are porous in structure,pores being about 1–2 nanometers in size,and can therefore be targeted to absorb small amounts of matter or toxin. Nanosponges are often used in medicine as targeted drug delivery systems,detoxification methods,or as a way of damage control after an injury. They can also be used in environmental applications to clean up ecosystems by performing tasks like purifying water or metal deposits. Their small size allows them to move quickly through substances,like water or blood,efficiently finding and attacking unwanted matter. Nanosponges are often synthetically manufactured but oftentimes include natural materials to improve their efficiency when injected into the body. Nanosponges are superior to microsponges in application as the smaller size allows less disruption into the system in which it is implemented therefore imposing less risk of failed or detrimental effects. The prefix "nano" implies that items of this size are measured on a scale of meters.
Maurizio Prato,is an Italian Organic Chemist,who is best known for his work on the functionalization of carbon nanostructures,including fullerenes,carbon nanotubes and graphene. He developed a series of organic reactions that make these materials more biocompatible,less or even non toxic,amenable to further functionalization,and easier to manipulate. He is Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Trieste and Research Professor at CIC BiomaGUNE in San Sebastián,Spain.
Niveen M. Khashab is a Lebanese chemist and an associate Professor of chemical Sciences and engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia since 2009. She is a laureate of the 2017 L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science "for her contributions to innovative smart hybrid materials aimed at drug delivery and for developing new techniques to monitor intracellular antioxidant activity." She is also a fellow of the Royal Chemical Society,and a member of the American Chemical Society.
Jin Kim Montclare is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at New York University. She creates novel proteins that can be used in drug delivery,tissue regeneration and as medical treatment. She is a 2019 AAAS Leshner Leadership Fellow and has been inducted to the AIMBE College of Fellows.
Jin Zhang is a Chinese-American biochemist. She is a professor of pharmacology,chemistry and biochemistry,and biomedical engineering at the University of California,San Diego.
Markita del Carpio Landry is a Bolivian-American chemist who is an associate professor in the department of chemical engineering at the University of California,Berkeley. Her research considers nanomaterials for brain imaging and the development of sustainable crops. She was a recipient of the 2022 Vilcek prize for creative promise. del Carpio Landry's work has been featured on NPR,popular mechanics,the San Francisco Chronicle,and C&E News.
Kathryn Ann Whitehead is an American chemical engineer who is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research considers the development of nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems for gene therapy,oral macromolecular delivery systems,and maternal and infant therapeutics. She is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2021 and Fellow of the Controlled Release Society.
