Nanotechnology: Novel Emerging Concepts - Bioengineering: A Conceptual Approach - page 249

Fig. 19.10 The idea of nanorobot and comparable nanoparticles in the cell
It is impossible to say exactly how would the typical nanorobot look like. Their
purpose would have been to travel through the blood toward their target with preci-
sion of 500-3,000 nm. Nanorobot can be 500-3,000 nm in size and can be ingested
with food or aerosol [ 24 ]. Each kind of Nanorobot would be designed to do a
specifi c role.
Finally, maybe the most important: the nanorobot is being designed currently [ 24 ].
There is a lot of theoretical designs which look well on the paper, but they can be
fundamentally changed after development and testing. However, it seems to be pos-
sible and this tendency to minimization will facilitate a lot of medical procedures
and approaches (Fig. 19.10 ).
Beside nanorobot idea, where graphene could be potentially used, there are
also other options like the one shown in Fig. 19.11 . The antibacterial effect of the
grapheme has been discovered as well, and could be potentially used in hospitals,
sterile labs and other facilities that require it.
As technological advancement creates new opportunity in other realms of science,
so too does it in the world of medicine. Two new treatment modalities are on the
forefront of oncological intervention: nanoparticle therapy and alternating magnetic
fi elds on replicating cancer stem cells. Although in the early phases of testing,
the two show promise of accomplishing limited-to-no side-effects as well as being
as non-invasive as possible. These novel treatments could be used in combination
with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as indicated.
The nanoparticle model has had diffi culty from its inception with the use of
quantum dots, later proven to be toxic. New concepts developed under strong infl u-
ence of nanotechnology. However, recent models have proven dramatically more
effective as anti-cancer agents through various methods of delivery [ 19 ]. The model
proposes that nanoparticles that are composed of silicon and can be coated with