What is Nanotechnology?

image source: http://nanogloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/nanotechnology.jpg

To be simple and short, nanotechnology is defined as interaction of engineered materials, cellular and molecular components which usually made up from atoms, molecular fragments and molecules. 

Written By: Team 3 (Go Yuan Fon)

References:

Nanogloss, n.d., Introductory of Nanotechnology - What Is Nanotechnology. [Online] Available at: http://nanogloss.com/#axzz3d3IjtBU0 [Accessed 7 April 2015].

Valentina, M., et al., 2012. Nanotechnology in Medicine: From Inception to Market Domination. [Online] Journal of Drug Delivery.Vol. 20, No. 7. Available at: <http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdd/2012/389485/#B1 [Accessed 7 April 2015],

Read More

Introductory of Nanotechnology in Medicine Field of Cancer

image source: http://www.ru.nl/publish/pages/758559/nanomedicine.png

Nanotechnology is defined as interaction of engineered materials, cellular and molecular components which usually made up from atoms, molecular fragments and molecules. In the field of medicine and in the scope of cancer, nanotechnology refers as engineering and science of altering matter at the molecular level to create tools with physical, biological and chemical properties which has the ability to diagnose, treat and cure cancer. Nanotechnology in the field on cancer could break into three applications which are diagnostic, drug delivery and therapy.

Nanotechnology has now able to make a spot in the field of medicine and it has now finally able to provide some great development in the process of curing cancers even though it is still in the process of researching and testing.

Written By: Team 3 (Go Yuan Fon & Wong Houy Shyan)

References:

Debjit, B., Chiranjib, R., Margret, C., Tripathi, K.K., Sampath Kumar, K.P., 2010. Nanomedicine-An Overview. [Online] International Journal of PharmTech Research. Vol.2, No.4, pp 2143-2151. Available at: <http://sphinxsai.com/Oct_dec_2010_vol2_no.4/PharmTech_vol2_no.4_1_pdf/PT=03%20(2143-2151).pdf [Accessed 7 April 2015].

National Cancer Institute, 2015. Learn About Nanotechnology in Cancer. [Online] Available at: http://nano.cancer.gov/learn/ [Accessed 7 April 2015].

The Scientist, 2015. Nanomedicine. [Online] Available at: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/40598/title/Nanomedicine/ [Accessed 7 April 2015].

Understanding Nano, 2007. Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery. [Online] Available at: http://www.understandingnano.com/nanotechnology-drug-delivery.html [Accessed 7 April 2015].

Valentina, M., et al., 2012. Nanotechnology in Medicine: From Inception to Market Domination. [Online] Journal of Drug Delivery. Vol. 20, No. 7. Available at: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdd/2012/389485/#B1 [Accessed 7 April 2015].

Read More

Impact of Nanotechnologies in Medicine

With the application of nanomedicine, complicated human diseases could be diagnosed at its molecular level and thus patients could take early prevention and diagnosis as well as treatment. Cancer nanotechnology has been widely investigated and implemented in cancer management and therapeutics. Researchers suggested it might bring benefits for diagnosis, treatment and monitoring cancer cells in patients.

Convergence of Chemotherapy and Nanotechnology

Most of anticancer therapeutics are dissolved in an organic solvent and injected into human bloodstreams. Chemotherapy damages healthy cells then leads to undesirable side effects like bone marrow suppression and hair loss.

Cancer nanotechnology is one of the greatest advanced technology in this industry. Nanoparticles group up all chemotherapeutic agents and deliver them to the targeted tumor effectively and less toxicity. Enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) happens whereby the amount of the drug in the tumor vasculature will increase.Nanoparticles prevent opsonization in order to sustain blood circulation due to its 100 nm size and tunable surface properties.

Impact of Nanomedicine, active targeting of nanoparticles

Moving on, the size and its tunable surface properties are the key points. They do not just allowed the prevention of to sustain blood circulation, it also allowed nanoparticles to contribute in detecting and monitoring cancer cells and cancer treatment processes. Nanoparticles are programmed to target cancerous cells and drug delivery in avoiding interaction between harmful chemotherapeutic agents and healthy cells. 

With the technique of “drug-polymer blending,” researchers able to separate the drug molecules from individual units of the polymer, before the units connected into a polymer nanoparticle. Nanoparticles are developed using hydrophobic hydrophilic cisplatin and docetaxel. The researchers will then add a tag of that binds to a molecule called prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). It reduce the side effects caused by chemotherapy medicine by allowing nanoparticles to bypass healthy cells. As a result, they go directly to their target region. Now, drugs are loaded with precise ratio into particles and the release rate of the drugs after they entered the tumor cells is under controlled. 

Nanotechnology has already advanced in cancer treatment and detection, changing the typical cancer treatment pattern. It has made a great impact on selective targeting cancerous cells, drug delivery, and breaking through limitations of the conventional chemotherapies. Now, we are able to lower the side effects of the traditional chemotherapies and substantially increase cancer patients’ survival rate.

However, I still think that there are still many outstanding questions to be solved, saying the risks of using nanotechnology for drug delivery which will be discussed in another article. 

First Mouse Study- Shrinking Tumors 

image source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120815142048.htm#.UCwlGRbS9Iw.pinterest

There is a successful experiment on mice happened in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the study of mice, experiment was carried out on ovarian tumours in a mice. Researchers found that RNAi nanoparticles able to destroy the tumours most effectively.

The researchers are now developing new potential targets for ovarian cancer as well as other types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. They are further experimenting the ID4-targeting particles to be functioned as a treatment for ovarian cancer.

Written By: Team 3 (Wong Houy Shyan)

References:

Bharalia, D. J. & Mousa, S., A., 2010. Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Emerging Nanomedicines for Early Cancer Detection and Improved Treatment: Current Perspective and Future Promise, vol. 128, no. 2, pp. 324-335. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0163725810001506. [Accessed 11 April 2015].

Bharalia, D. J. & Mousa, S., A., 2010. Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Emerging Nanomedicines for Early Cancer Detection and Improved Treatment: Current Perspective and Future Promise, vol. 128, no. 2, pp. 324-335. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0163725810001506. [Accessed 11 April 2015].

Siddiqui, I., A., Adhami, V., M., Christopher, J., Chamcheu, Mukhtar, H, 2012. International Journal of Nanomedicine. Impact of Nanotechnology in Cancer: Emphasis on Nanochemoprevention, vol. 7, pp. 591-605. Available at: http://josorge.com/publications/Citations/JCMM/007.pdf. [Accessed 11 April 2015].

Sutradhar, K., B. & Amin, M., L, 2014. ISRN Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology in Cancer Drug Delivery and Selective Targeting, vol. 2014. Available at: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2014/939378/ [Accessed 13 April 2015].

World Health Organization, 2015. Media Centre. [online] Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/. [Accessed 11 April 2015].

Read More

Google Particles

Image source: http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Google-X-Nano-Pill-36017725

In October 2014, Google claimed that Google X research lab is currently at the early stage of designing the nanoparticles which aims to detect disease like cancer, heart attack and so on. Google further stressed that it would come in a form of pill that works with a wearable magnetic device - smart wristband.  

Image source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29802581 

With this pill, a patient would just have to swallow it so that the nanoparticles that contains antibodies are able to enter into the bloodstream and seek for the sign of disease. If there is any disease found, for example like cancer cell, it would then report to the smart wristband for analysation. After analysing and compiling those data, it will automatically report back to the doctor. As such, Google aims to monitor blood through nanoparticles and to shift today's practice of going hospital constantly for a checkup. It would be more effective as the health of the patients can be monitored continuously instead of once in awhile.  

This idea is worth considering because the cancer like kidney, ovarian, pancreatic cancer are often hardly to be found in the early stage. With this technology, it helps the patient to identify the disease as early as possible, so that it gets a higher chance to be treated before it had a chance to spread. In other words, this technology could save lives. Not only that, the cancer could even be cured without having any painful surgery. Hence, this would be the future of preventing sick and diseases.  

Is there any risk?

After Google has released the plan, people are started wondering whether there is any negative consequences after they have ingested that particular pill. In fact, Google has carried out several tests and trials to prove that this nanoparticles platform is safe and it does not contains any unexpected effects. Additionally, these nanoparticles are not going to stay forever in the body like what other forms of nanoparticles will do; it will expelled through urine. Moreover, it has no chance to cause a problem in the body because it will only takes a very short time to circulate through blood with its features of incredible tiny size. 

Also, Google is working on developing several versions of nanoparticle pills that could fit with people from different health risks. However, it still requires a lot of effort and hard work to convince the public that it would be safe to place those nanoparticles inside their bodies. Moreover, since this technology is still at an early development stage, it might causes any negative consequences that has not been figured out.

Furthermore, the founder of Nanobiotix (a French company) has claimed that the idea of targeting cancerous cells by using nanoparticles is not new and it is achievable. In fact, similar forms of nanoparticles that tackle for other diseases or to deliver drugs can be found in the market today. Google at the same time said that it will be taking approximately another five years to be visible or access by the public. 

Google, the search engine is not taking any medical data that gathered by the accompanying wearable device because there will be another third party, a medical company to look after the security as well as the privacy; they are working together in bringing this technology to the market. Although launching this piece of technology is not easy yet challenging, Google is believed to be financially stable in taking up this challenges. Therefore, it is totally safe and reliable.

Written by: Team 3 (Pun Pui Yi)

References: 

Aim., 2013. Nanoparticles: the Future of Disease Prevention. [Online] Available at: <http://www.aim-mutual.org/communication/news-list/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=463> [Accessed 22 April 2015] 

Hughes, M. 2014. Google’s new nanotech pill will help the fight against cancer. [Online] Available at: <http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/google-nanotech-pill-fight-cancer/> [Accessed 20 April 2015].  

Kelion, L. & Gallagher, J., 2014. Google is developing cancer and heart attack detector. [Online] Available at: <http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29802581> [Accessed 24 April 2015].

Metz, C. 2014. Google developing a pill that would detect cancer and other disease. [Online] Available at:<http://www.wired.com/2014/10/google-developing-pill-detect-cancer-diseases/> [Accessed 24 April 2015].

Nguyen, N., 2014. Google's Cancer-Seeking Pill Is Pure Magic. [Online] Available at:<http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Google-X-Nano-Pill-36017725> [Accessed 24 April 2015].

Triung, A. 2014. Google's Next Moonshot: Detecting Cancer with Nanoparticles. [Online] Available at: <http://www.fastcompany.com/3037760/innovation-agents/googles-next-moonshot-detecting-cancer-with-nanoparticles> [Accessed 24 April 2015].

Read More