How Nanotechnology Revamps Healthcare

There is an increasing sense of optimism around nanotechnology in healthcare, which is bringing about significant innovations in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases.

FREMONT, CA: The use of nanotechnology in healthcare is bringing in new frontiers across the life sciences sector. With the potential to manipulate matters at atomic levels, nanotechnology has a massive ability to revolutionize aspects of medical care, such as diagnostics, disease monitoring, vaccine development, surgical devices, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery. It is also opening avenues to better treatment choices for several diseases through innovative research tools that can be leveraged for drug discovery. Here are the major ways in which nanotechnology is revamping the future of healthcare:

• Smart Pills

Smart pills refer to nano-level electronic devices that are designed like pharmaceutical pills but perform advanced functions like sensing, imaging, and drug delivery. Nanotechnology helped in developing several smart pills. More advanced smart pills being developed, which, when ingested, examines the gases in the human gut to detect any disorders. Its sensors can detect the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body and the presence of harmful substances. Its uses include diagnosing gastrointestinal disorders, identifying malignant digestive organs, and tracking food sensitivities to allow personalized diet and nutrition plans.

• Cancer Detection and Treatment

A major problem with regular chemotherapy and radiation is the damage due to the body’s healthy cells during the treatment. New nanomedicine methods are being leveraged in the treatment of skin cancer, which allows efficient delivery of drugs and other therapeutic treatments tumor sites and target cells with low toxic side-effects.

• Nanobots

Nanobots are micro-scale robots, which serve as miniature surgeons. They can be inserted into the body to replace intracellular structures. They can replicate themselves to correct a deficiency in genetics or even eradicate illnesses by replacing DNA molecules. Nanobots are presently being tested to perform eye surgery through a microscopic needle inserted into the retina. Surgeons can direct this needle with a specialized magnetic field. Nanobots can also be leveraged to clear artery blockages by drilling through them.