What is Nanomedicine?

Nanomedicine is the application of the principles and methods of nanoscience and technology to medicine. Its scope mainly includes two aspects: (1) the application of nanoscience and technology to develop more sensitive and rapid medical diagnostic technology and more effective treatment methods; (2) Use nanotechnology to understand the processes and mechanisms of life activities at a more microscopic level.

Nanomedicine is the application of the principles and methods of nanoscience and technology to medicine. Its scope mainly includes two aspects: (1) the application of nanoscience and technology to develop more sensitive and rapid medical diagnostic technology and more effective treatment methods; (2) Use nanotechnology to understand the processes and mechanisms of life activities at a more microscopic level.

Definition of Nanomedicine

Judging the value of nanomedicine can be considered from the following aspects [1]: (1) whether it can improve the curative effect of diseases that have not been cured, (2) whether it can solve some "orphan disease" treatment methods, and (3) whether major diseases can be obtained Better treatment, (4) whether it has an impact on medicine, (5) whether it can bring benefits to medical treatment in developing countries, (6) whether nanomedicine combines medical ethics and the ability to sustain development, (7) nanometer How medicine will affect our society, culture and worldview.

Main branch of nanomedicine

Biomedicine: use nanoparticle technology to design and prepare drug (gene) delivery vectors with multiple response functions or targets, and develop new drug formulations and new drugs

Regenerative medicine: development of nanostructured materials that guide tissue regeneration and promote tissue / material interface fusion, surface coatings for permanent implants for tissue repair and replacement, guided tissue regeneration scaffolds, structural permanent implants, implantability Sensors for treatment and monitoring.

Surgical assistance: development of intelligent instruments and surgical robots based on nano-optical and nano-electronics technologies

Diagnostic tools: Development of genetic testing, ultra-sensitive labeling and detection technology, high-throughput and multiplex analysis technology based on nanofluid and nano-processing technology

Medical Imaging: New Contrast Agents and Targeted Labeling Technology Based on Nanoparticle Technology

Understand basic life processes: Based on nanomechanics and optical technologies such as atomic force microscope and tunnel scanning microscope, study the process of life at the molecular or atomic level.

Nanotoxicology: Impact of nanomaterials on health, environment and safety

Figure 1. Nanocarriers that are specifically responsive to the surrounding environment can have sensor functions. The picture on the left is the design prototype. The shell of the nanocarrier is a porous structure, and the pores can be opened or closed according to the external environment. In addition, the nanocarrier is loaded with an enzyme capable of responding to the pH value. When the pH value drops below 6, the enzyme reacts. Therefore, when the nanocarrier binds to the target cell and enters the lysosome at pH 5, the enzyme reaction is triggered. The right picture shows the experimental results under a fluorescence microscope. The two small pictures on the left show that the shell of the nanocarrier does not have a porous structure, so it cannot respond to changes in the surrounding environment. When the shell of the nanocarrier has a porous structure, it is also loaded with pH-sensitive enzymes. At the time (two small pictures on the right), at normal physiological pH, the nanocarrier does not react with the blood sample (top right), but when the pH value drops to 5 (bottom right), the enzyme reacts, and the resulting product emits yellow-green fluorescence [2 .

Figure 3. Nanofluidics can be used to detect very small amounts of liquid samples. The figure above shows the functional schematic of a nanofluidic sensor for simultaneous detection of multiple analytes. Binding molecules such as antibodies are distributed through microchannels and bound to the surface of the test material to form a fine pattern. The sample enters from the vertical direction. A drop of blood with a volume of one percent of the sample can fill the channel, and the antibody on the surface of the channel binds to the test substance in the sample. Then, the fluorescent secondary antibody molecule is added to display the binding amount of the test substance and the channel. Binding position in. Test results like a mosaic pattern can be read out automatically by the instrument. Each nail-sized area has more than 50,000 detection points [3].