Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
aside from precise delivery of the drug load, the NMs can be used to detect the
degree of treatment. This is what nanotheranostic offers: a combination of effi-
cient treatment and precise diagnosis.
It is within the realm of possibilities to make implantable, in vivo diag-
nostic and monitoring devices that approach the size of cells using NMs. New
and improved biocompatible NMs and nanomechanical components could lead
to fabrication of new materials and components for implants, artificial organs,
and greatly improved mechanical, visual, auditory, and other prosthetic devices.
With continued support for R&D efforts from the various sectors, this may be
closer to reality than we can imagine at this point in time.
The current status of nanotechnology resembles that of semiconductor and
electronics technology in 1947 during the development of the first transistor
that welcomed the Information Age, which bloomed in the 1990s. The lessons
learned from the history of the semiconductor industry teach us that the invention
of individual devices does not immediately unleash the power of the technology
but takes time until the fabrication costs are controlled down to low levels; and
the devices are assembled, connected to the outside, and controlled to perform
a certain function that is of benefit to a large population. Similarly, success in
nanotechnology will require an era of advances in the development of processes
to integrate nanoscale components into devices at a repeatable, reliable, and
at a low-cost process. Large-scale techniques for manufacturing fault-tolerant
devices and equivalent lots of NMs will have to be invented. At the current wide-
spread application of nanotechnology, we expect that its societal impact may be
many times greater than that of the microelectronics and computer revolution.
The potential of nanomedicine may emerge in the very near future,
5-10 years from now, when the design to construct artificial nanorobots with
nanometer-scale parts like molecular gears and bearings is completed.
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These
nanorobots will be composed of autonomous subsystems including onboard sen-
sors, motors, manipulators, power supplies, and molecular computers. The trick
to achieving this structure is a molecular or atomic level manufacturing technique
that can build a molecular structure through level-by-level positional assembly.
The process will involve repetitious part-by-part and level-by-level assembly
until the final product is fully assembled. Such a process is yet to be developed
and reported in the near future. To date, only a few molecular level manufacturing
techniques have been seen and majority of these apply to NM synthesis, many of
which are still at a small-scale level. A few more years are predicted before large-
scale processes for QDs, iron oxide, and other NMs can be mastered to reproduc-
ibly fabricate stable, uniform, and inexpensive NMs that can cause the costs to
appreciably go down. The lower costs of NMs will be followed by more research
and faster development in the applications of NMs for medicine.
The succeeding chapters of this topic focus on the various current statuses of
R&D in NMs and their medical applications. A few processes and protocols are
included in each chapter that can be used and followed by those who are inter-
ested in starting their own research in the areas of nanomedicine. The author
