Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine is an emerging field of engineering and life sciences that promises to revolutionize medicine and medical technology. There are numerous applications of nanomedicine and nanotechnology in medicinal diagnostics. These include improved imagining of the human (or any) body and detecting tumors that are only a few cells in size.

The idea that pharmaceutical agents should be delivered specifically to diseased cells holds the promise of a variety of benefits.

The promise of individualized medicine is that it is efficient. Targeted drug-delivery allows doctors and patients to benefit from small dosages at just the right place and thus from fewer side effects.

Nanoparticles could be used to help fight disease. Tiny nanoparticles could be launched into tumors and heated up using light to destroy cancer cells. This could help treat cancers, which are inoperable and resistant to chemotherapy.

Nanorobots are nanodevices that will be used for the purpose of maintaining and protecting the human body against pathogens. Metabolizing local glucose, oxygen and other sources within the body for energy, can source the power of nanorobots. These nanorobots will be able to distinguish between different cell types by checking their surface antigens.

Nanomedicine has therapeutic uses as well. Nanotechnology is capable of delivering medication to the exact location where they are needed, hence lesser side effects. It can also be used to destroy harmful organisms or cancer cells by interrupting their division process. Nanoprobes can be made to generate radiation that could kill bacteria, viruses and cancer cells. Nanotechnology also theoretically allows the mimicking of natural biological processes, e.g. repair of damaged tissues or acting as artificial red blood cells to transport oxygen.