Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1.8 FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
The study of NM toxicity is currently in the initial phases of development. The environmental testing
of NMs requires the development of testing guidelines to allow the comparison and interpretation
of data from clinical as well as environmental studies, and the close cooperation in interdisciplinary
research. Unlike microorganisms and biomolecules, NMs can be engineered in a laboratory. Their
physicochemical properties can be modified to enable systematic studies. Monte Carlo simulations
have been used to model the effects of NP size and ligand densities on cellular uptake and tumor
targeting. This would help to improve NP designs for optimal tumor accumulations in diagnostic
and drug delivery applications (Buford et al. 2007, Borm et al. 2006, pp. 68-70, Powers et al. 2007).
Such stimulation tools can be developed by conducting studies in a systematic manner and with a
properly selected biological system. On that basis, researchers could create a database that would
facilitate finding commonalities in experimental results. The outcomes of these studies can also be
entered into a database, which can further help researchers to use computer simulation programs to
identify appropriate nanostructure designs for a specific application.
There are several regulatory agencies that are looking into the toxicity caused by NMs. NNI
was previously mentioned in the chapter; it has a section devoted to identifying the potential
exposure, possible toxicity, and the need for personal protective equipments when working with
nanoscale materials. Several other U.S. agencies (the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, the National Science Foundation Nanoscale Science and Engineering technology, and the
Environmental Protection Agency) are working to assess, support, and monitor the impact of nano-
technology on health and the environment. The NIH-National Toxicology Program funds research
on the toxicity of NMs.
The development of communication activities to enable technical information to be summarized,
critiqued, and ultimately synthesized for various interested parties, including decision makers and
consumers, would also be beneficial in tackling toxicity. Applied methods (sample preparation,
experimental setup, and toxicity analysis) in current and future studies should be fully documented
to enhance the transparency and comparability of obtained data. Finally, a global understanding of
nanotechnology-specific risks is essential. If the global research community can take cognizance of
these issues, then we can surely look forward to the advent of safe nanotechnologies.
1.9 SUMMARY
The field of nanotechnology takes root well before the era of peer-reviewed literature when col-
loidal gold was used to coat pottery during the Ming dynasty and breathtaking, stained-glass win-
dows of seventeenth-century cathedrals. Nanotechnology rose to the interest of science through the
famous work of Faraday in 1857 about making a “beautiful ruby fluid” (Faraday 1857). Conceptual
explanations of nanotechnology received more publicity in the 1959 presentation by Richard
Feyman, a celebrated Nobel Prize winner. However, it was the invention of electron microscopy
in 1981 that caused a burst in the growth of nanotechnology. Furthermore, in 2000, the National
Nanotechnology Initiative helped the field develop into the booming, multitrillion dollar industry
that we have today, with many applications from conductors in computer technology to cancer
treatments in medicine.
The exciting capabilities of nanotechnology are bringing about its infiltration into almost every
aspect of life. Nanoparticles allow for the design and administration of delivery systems with tar-
geted and sustained release capacities and decreased off-target activities and toxicities in the fields
of medicine and pharmacy. New application venues have been discovered in computer technologies
where almost every circuitry component can be redesigned with the use of nanotechnology, yielding
faster and more efficient operations in compact designs. Nanotechnology allows for the remediation
and recycling of resources and energy in environmental sustainability efforts. Other uses of nano-
technology have been applied in coatings, cosmetics, paints, and lubricants, among others.
