Nanomedicine is an area of modern medicine that employs biomolecular nanotechnology to provide health diagnoses and treatments that are easier and more effective than previously imagined. The devices and particles are so small (one nanometer = one billionth of a meter) that they operate at the level of cells and biological molecules, creating new dimensions of diagnosis and treatment in medicine.
Early Detection of Diseases: A Paradigm Shift in Detection of Biomarkers
The most important benefit of nanomedicine is that it will detect disease at a pre-symptomatic stage. Nanoparticles and nanosensors are capable of detecting even the slightest amounts of disease indicators (biomarkers) that are naturally present in biological fluids like blood or urine. This advances detection of diseases like cancer or diabetes and genetic diseases before one presents with symptoms.
Super-sensitive nanosensors can not only detect at the single-molecule level but can also detect gene mutations, DNA defects that cause disease, and even cancerous tumors and their nature, all the way down to a molecular level. This provides increased direction and accuracy of treatment.
Specific, Precise Diagnosis—Understanding the Mechanism of Nanoparticles
Nanoparticles are purposely developed to only go to areas and cells in the body where there are signs of disease. For example, gold nanoparticles will take the drug to the tumor while avoiding healthy cells during cancer treatment. This leads to more specific diagnoses and fewer false positives.
Nanopore and nanogap-based technologies are able to study single copies of DNA, RNA, and other biological molecules. With this capability, accurate diagnoses can be obtained for diseases like genetic disorders and cancer.
Advanced Diagnostic Tools—Obtain Accurate Results in Minutes
Portable biosensors created based on nanomedicine can receive accurate, immediate information concerning diseases such as diabetes and cancer treatments while at home. It is especially helpful for more remote areas that lack access to larger hospitals or diagnostic labs.
Fast detection tests use nanoparticle-based test strips, like pregnancy tests, and give results in minutes. Once the biomarker is detected, the test strip turns color, confirming the diagnosis.
Nanomedicine-based imaging technologies in tests like CT and PET scans give advanced levels of imaging accuracy with clear, high-definition images of tumors or disease sites. This ensures better planning for surgery or treatment.
Tailored and Live Monitoring
Currently, theranostics systems based on nanomedicine, which merges the diagnosis with treatment, are emerging. This indicates that medication or therapy is delivered, via the same system, immediately post-diagnosis. In addition, the patient’s disease is monitored in real time, allowing for the disease to be tracked for either progression or regression.
Additionally, medications can be tailored to personal gene profiles—indicating that medications will be specifically developed for that one patient—termed personalized medicine. This process could change completely how we do treatment going forward.
Conclusion
Nanomedicine has provided us with the ability to detect disease early. It is able to provide physicians with a more precise and accurate diagnosis and treatment option, quickly and at low cost. Nanoparticles, nanosensors, and diagnostics that are portable—these are all agents of nanomedicine and are changing the opportunity to provide low-cost, safe, and effective medical care for everyone in an ever-changing world.
In the next few years, nanomedicine expansion will change the landscape of not just cancer and diabetes but also many viral, bacterial, and genetic diseases, providing new knowledge about life and health.
