Nanoscience and Medicine

There’s plenty of room at the bottom (Feynman 1959). These words, spoken in 1959 by Richard P. Feynman at the American Physical Society in Pasadena, CA ushered in a new area for the budding field of nanoscience. Nanoscience, or the study of inorganic and organic structures on the nanoscale (10^-9 m), has applications in a variety of fields. Scientists are currently developing smaller and more efficient circuits, allowing for new possibilities in the electronics industry. Researchers are producing materials that absorb and collect pollution, leaving a lasting impact on the environment. Scientists are even developing nanostructures to serve as flavorings and additives for food. One rapidly growing application is the field of healthcare. 

There are many potential applications for nanotechnology in healthcare. The field of nanoscience has grown tremendously over the past several decades. The US Budget for the NNI (National Nanotechnology Initiative) is over $1.7 billion with roughly 650 billion being allocated towards health research (NNI, 2021). Not only can we use novel nanotools to diagnose and treat disease faster but we can also use such innovation to reduce post-operative complications while decreasing out of pocket healthcare expenses for patients worldwide. Yet, nanotechnology is not without costs: nanoscience is a relatively new yet rapidly growing field with many questions yet to be answered. Are nanotechnologies toxic to the body? Do they decompose over time, and if not where do these potentially dangerous structures end up?

Nanotherapies are currently in a period of “diseconomies of scale;” R&D for these novel technologies are centralized in large, established biomedical research firms and national governments (Bosetti and Jones, 2019). Due to high acquisition costs, local firms have largely stayed away from these technologies, limiting the amount of research that can be done (Bosetti and Jones, 2019). Pharmaceutical companies must decide for themselves whether or not to adopt nanotechnology; although the industry may be costly in the short term, it holds great promise for the future. Thus, in order to fully realize the benefits of nanotechnology, local hospitals and research corporations must choose to adopt nanoscience due to its advantages over conventional therapies; with new data coming out every day, we must prove whether or not nanomedicine is as revolutionary as it seems at first glance.

One way novel nanotechnology can be used to better the patient experience in healthcare is by reducing negative patient outcomes and eliminating many post-surgical complications. One such way nanotechnology will improve surgical outcomes is in treating cancer; while cancer initially develops at the nanoscale, current chemotherapy techniques expose trillions of healthy cells to intense radiation which may result in longer recovery times, a weakening of the patient’s immune system, and faster bruising and bleeding (Villines, 2021). However, nanotechnology coated with antibodies or infused with radiation can be used to specifically bind to and destroy cancerous cells before they coalesce into tumors; these nanostructures are so small that they can even pass through the blood-brain barrier to provide chemotherapy to targeted cells in the brain (Martin, 2020). Two treatments, Abraxane and Doxil, have been proven more effective than traditional chemotherapy and are already contributing to positive patient outcomes (Martin, 2020).

Another benefit of nanotechnology is in disease screening and diagnosis; nanotechnology opens new doors for microscopy and detection tools, affording patients a higher chance at remission. One technology proven especially useful is quantum dots; these semiconductors travel to diseased cells and then fluoresce, allowing physicians to visualize abnormalities more clearly (Shetty, 2010). These dots not only allow us to find and treat diseases from cancer to malaria but they are also significantly better than conventional dyes which disappear shortly after entering the body. Beyond quantum dots, carbon wires have also proven valuable; nucleic acids attached to structures such as nanowires (carbon nano-tubes) can be used as biosensors that detect mutations in cellular RNA (Shetty, 2010). This application is especially useful when treating cancer and HIV. By diagnosing disease faster, physicians can reduce mortality rates worldwide.

Nanomedicine will revolutionize the modern healthcare industry; implementing targeted therapy techniques will reduce healthcare costs in the long term. In the United States in 2020, the cancer mortality rate was approximately 33.6% (National Cancer Institute, 2020). Nanotechnology has the potential to drastically lower mortality for costly disease while reducing treatment costs (Loubaton, 2012). While cancer develops at the nanoscale, most conventional therapies involve widespread radiation to the body. To reduce the quantity of pharmaceuticals and radiation required for treatment, patients will experience lower costs. Furthermore, due to the minimally invasive nature of nanotherapies, inpatient recovery times will decrease and fewer healthcare staff will be required for treating each patient (Loubaton, 2012). Reducing healthcare costs will decrease patient expenses, increasing access to care and decreasing mortality rates for life-threatening disease. 

If national governments prioritize nanomedicine and subsidize companies to develop nanotherapies, not only will we understand the true scope of the field of nanoscience but we may also save the lives of millions around the world. Nanoscience is a rapidly changing field with many questions to be answered. Does nanoscience hold the solutions to the healthcare problems of today? Only time can tell.