Nanotechnology becomes prominent concept in healthcare

Nanotechnology, once known to be the stuff of science fiction, has become a prominent concept in healthcare. The concept of creating devices and machines that are the width of human hair is already transforming various industries.

The science of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale is making significant strides in the medical field, particularly in diagnostics. This innovative technology is enhancing the accuracy, speed, and convenience of disease detection, thereby transforming healthcare.

One of the most promising applications of nanotechnology in medical diagnostics is the development of “smart pills”. These tiny devices, packed with nanotechnologies, can monitor a wide array of diseases, tailoring their function to the specific condition they are designed to diagnose or treat.

This breakthrough not only makes disease monitoring more efficient but also less costly.

Scientists at Amrita Hospital, Kochi’s Centre for Nanoscience and Molecular Medicine developed several products used in diagnostics and treatment.

Dr Shantikumar Nair, Dean, School of Nanosciences & Molecular Medicine at Amrita Hospital, shared some advantages of how nanotechnology has helped in the field of healthcare diagnostics.

• Increased sensitivity: Nanoscale materials and structures have high surface area-to-volume ratios, which allows for enhanced interactions with biological molecules. This increased sensitivity enables the detection of very low concentrations of biomarkers or disease-related molecules, even in early stages of diseases.
• Early disease detection: Nanotechnology-based diagnostic tools can detect diseases at their early stages, even before symptoms become apparent. Early detection is crucial for effective treatment and better patient outcomes.
• Point-of-Care testing: Nanotechnology facilitates the development of portable and rapid diagnostic devices that can be used at the point of care, such as in a doctor’s office, at home, or in resource-limited settings. This improves accessibility to healthcare, especially in remote or underserved areas.
• Non-invasive testing: Nanotechnology enables the development of non-invasive diagnostic techniques, reducing the need for invasive procedures and improving patient comfort.
• Imaging enhancements: Nanoparticles can act as contrast agents in various medical imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound. These agents improve imaging sensitivity and specificity, aiding in more accurate diagnoses.
• Targeted drug delivery: Nanoparticles can be functionalized to carry drugs or therapeutic agents directly to the affected tissues or cells. This targeted drug delivery minimizes side effects and improves the efficiency of treatments.
• Biomarker discovery: Nanotechnology-based tools can help identify new biomarkers for specific diseases, leading to better diagnostic criteria and personalized medicine approaches.
• Cost-effectiveness: Nanotechnology has the potential to lower the cost of medical diagnostics and improve healthcare efficiency through miniaturisation and automation of diagnostic devices.

Health experts at Amrita have developed products like Nanotex bone graft, which is a porous, biodegradable and mechanically stable graft that could regenerate bone in large defects.

Another product developed is nanomedicine for liver tumour therapy. The research team optimised the nanomedicine product which will be used in liver-tumour therapy. The product will be ready for human trial by the end of 2023.

The third product is called the Amrita GlioCure Nano-Brain Implant – a nano-brain implant which can target the tumour glioblastoma (one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumour affecting adults in the age group of 35-60 years).

Dr Nair added that “fluorescent nanoclusters” have been developed to target leukemic cells in the blood so that a tiny bit of blood is adequate to detect leukemic cells in the blood samples.

“We have also developed a surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy technique to detect oral cancer using a light beam that is non-invasive and that is as accurate as a biopsy. Light-based detection can be used to screen a large number of patients in a short time without any invasive procedures,” said Dr Nair.

Nanotechnology has been used to detect cancer cells circulating in the blood at an early stage when treatment methods can be more effective against the cancer. India Today