Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 6, the focus is on the applications of NMs as components or as additives
in the design and make-up of various medical devices led to improved biocom-
patibility and functionality as nanorobots, novel nanochips and nanoimplants
serving as tissue substitutes, tissue regeneration, prostheses, tissue engineer-
ing, and cell repair.
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Nanosurgery is expected to
bring a revolutionary change in terms of neighboring tissue/cell damage during
surgery.
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Nanorobots bring hope to early diagnosis and targeted drug
delivery for early cancer treatment. Improvements in implants can reduce cost
and provide ease of use to patients while minimizing swelling, toxicity and
other side effects. Integration of NMs in implants also allows durability beyond
the conventional materials that are currently in use.
Nanorobots are composed of nanoscale or molecular compo-
nents.
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These devices are injectable in the patient to perform
diagnosis or treatment on a cellular level. Treatments with nanorobots involve
alterations in structure and composition in the molecular or submolecular
level. Nanorobots are used for early diagnosis and targeted drug delivery for
cancer therapeutics, nanosized biomedical instrument for surgery, pharmaco-
kinetics, disease monitoring, and improving the affectivity and efficiency of
health care.
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These potential areas of applications leverage the unique
nanoscale dimensions of NMs and their various engineering versatilities to be
manipulated in order to serve for specific functions. Continued development of
more prototypes and more extensive research are necessary to harness the full
potential of NMs as medical devices.
Many different kinds of NMs are currently being developed for various nano-
chips,nanoimplants,andevenforstemcellregeneration.
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These various applications of nanomedical devices hold promise for better diagno-
sis and improved therapeutics that ultimately benefit the quality of life. Although
majority of these applications of NMs in medicine are still in the laboratory, a few
are already in full blast clinical use. Some prostheses being used by amputees, scaf-
folds for tissue regeneration, and some implants currently contain nanomaterial
composites. NMs including polymeric NMs, nanocomposites and natural NMs have
also been studied for cartilage regeneration. Human cartilage cells attached and pro-
liferated well on hydroxyapatite nanocrystals that were homogeneously dispersed
in poly-lactic acid nanocomposites.
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Titanium NMs with nanometer sized-pores exhibited increased chondrocyte adhe-
sion and migration.
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Nanoparticles can be engineered to diagnose conditions and recognize
pathogens; identify ideal pharmaceutical agents to treat the condition or
pathogens; fuel high-yield production of matched pharmaceuticals (poten-
tially in vivo); locate, attach or enter target tissue, structures or pathogens;
and dispense the ideal mass of matched biological compound to the target
regions.
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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
