In recent years, researchers around the world have been showing an increasing interest in the area of nanoscience. Nanotechnology is the research and development of materials, systems, and devices with properties different from those found on the scale of molecules and viruses (Patil et al). A branch of nanotechnology, called nanomedicine, holds strong promise of future medical advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases (Patil et al). Nanomedicine is a science and technology which involves preventing traumatic injury, relieving pain, and maintaining human health (Patil et al). With nanomedicine it will be possible to extend a human’s life span by quickly repairing a variety of fatal physical injuries. Medical robots, or nanobots, will be able to efficiently cure the majority of the diseases that people suffer from today. Nanotechnology has the potential to become a core technology for not only modern medicine and dentistry, but others fields such as chemistry, physics, and engineering (Patil et al). Once scientists determine a system that eliminates the dangers of nanoscale materials and regenerative medicine, nanotechnology will without doubt become the fundamental technology of modern medicine.
Medical developments concerning nanotechnology have multiple uses and may potentially save thousands of lives. Nanomedicine is an emerging field which “involves maintaining cells, tissues, and organs by applying cell therapy and tissue engineering methods” (Patil et al). This often includes not only the use of a variety of nanoscale materials, but the rewriting or replacing of DNA sequences in cells (Patil et al). These procedures are mostly conducted by researchers involved in drug discovery as well as physicians lo...
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At the moment, the main objective for scientists and engineers is to develop surgery into a minimal invasive method and nanote...
"10 Medical Breakthroughs Expected in the Next 10 Years." n. pag. Web. 31 Jul 201
In the article “Pinpointing Cancer Fight,” Liz Szabo states the uses of nanotechnology and how researchers are attempting to use this advancement to fight cancer. She defines that nanotechnology is a type of technology that creates devices on an atomic level; this equipment can allow people such as researchers to use its ability to detect cancerous cells as well as treat them. Szabo remains a neutral tone as she states that while some are against the idea of using nanotechnology since there are many risks, others are optimistic that it may lead to transformational results. She presents a list of some products developed through nanotechnology and explains its usage in addition to mentioning the failure of those nanotech products. Szabo provides
After the treatment and procedure is complete, patients leave with healthier, more beautiful teeth, giving them the confidence to ask someone out on a date or the confidence to smile on an important job interview. Dentistry is and has been for centuries, an important aspect of people’s ...
Gene therapy is a relatively new concept owing mainly to our current knowledge of the human body and the relatively modern understanding of genetic coding and process. We now are able to better identify and understand the genetic causes of human ailments, and are just beginning to understand how to fix, replace, or eradicate the chromosomal basis for these issues; this is the concept of gene therapy. However logistically dealing with the small structure of genes, chromosomes, and DNA is not as easy as repairing a cracked wall or damaged water pipe, we are dealing with complex and microscopic materials that ordinary tools cannot deal with. Manufacturing such tools to deliver corrective DNA into affected cells within the body is just one of the obstacles that scientists and researchers are facing.
Genetic engineering, the process of using genetic information from the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of cells to fix or improve genetic defects or maladies, has been developing for over twenty years. When Joseph Vacanti, a pediatric surgeon at Children’s Hospital, and Robert Langer, a chemical engineering professor at MIT, first met as researchers in the 1970’s, they had little knowledge of the movement they would help found. After they discovered a method of growing live tissue in the 1980’s, a new science was born, and it races daily towards new discoveries and medical breakthroughs (Arnst and Carey 60). “Tissue engineering offers the promise that failing organs and aging cells no longer be tolerated — they can be rejuvenated or replaced with healthy cells and tissues grown anew” (Arnst and Carey 58). The need for genetic engineering becomes quite evident in the promises it offers in various medical fields, as well to financial ones. Despite critics’ arguments about the morality or practicality of it, genetic engineering should continue to provide the essential benefits it has to offer without unnecessary legal impediment.
Biomedical engineering is a branch of science that connects engineering sciences with biological sciences that started around the 1940s (Citron & Nerem, 2004). Biomedical engineering is the discipline that promotes learning in engineering, biology, chemistry, and medicine. The objective for biomedical engineers is to enhance human health by incorporating engineering and biomedical sciences to solve problems. Some of the accomplishments made from biomedical engineering are prosthetics, robotic and laser surgery, implanted devices, imaging devices, nanotheranostics and artificial intelligence. As we head towards the future, biomedical engineering is anticipated to become an even greater part of the medical industry and bring about innovating
Almost everyone is touched by cancer in some way and the number of people living with and beyond cancer grows greater every year. Globally 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year and 8 million people will die from it annually. Half of all men and one-third of all women will develop cancer during their lifetime. (13) There are many treatments for cancer, mainly: surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. These traditional treatments have many negative side effects. Therefore, increasingly, other treatments, such as hormonal therapy and targeted therapy are being used for certain cancers. Nanotechnology is a form of targeted therapy that destroys cancer tumors with minimal damage to healthy tissues and organs. Scientists are already using nanotechnology in early detection of elimination of cancer cells before they form tumors. But the real game changer will be when nanotechnology targets cancer tumors in treatment (11,13).
The human body is the most complex organism in the world. A vast majority of society never gives it real thought, but our body is a well-oiled machine composed of several systems with separate functions, yet they all work together. No man can recreate an exact working replica of a human; even with all of our technology, we still do not fully understand it. Each day, anatomists and physiologists are getting closer, by making medical breakthroughs. Therefore, since the study of the human body constantly evolves, so does the study of medicine.
I was inspired by the high-tech research dentistry when I read several articles about the American researches during my internship. After relocating to the States, I enjoyed learning the importance of organized dentistry and the positive impact of the dental technologies on the efficiency of a dentist and an overall patient experience, through my involvement as a dental assistant. It brings me joy, realizing that this job position has invigorated my clinical skills and significantly balanced the repertoire of my interpersonal skills. In addition, I work as a Research Technician at Houston Center for Biomaterials and Biomimetics, part of the UTH School of Dentistry complex. This opportunity semi-fulfilled my dream to work in a professional environment where my knowledge, as well as personality, bloomed
First off, biomaterials have had a drastic increase in how much research is being done and how far they have come with actually coming out with materials that will benefit the population. The actual definition for a biomaterial is, “Any nondrug material that can be used to treat, enhance or replace any tissue, organ, or function in an organism” (Ige, Umoru, & Aribo, 2012). It is a very complicated field of study as one can tell from the definition. They can date back to the beginning of mankind. Some of the first recorded forms of biomaterials date back to Ancient Egypt, where they would use inserts in their mouth as fake teeth. We still do this today, except we are far more advanced now. We have the ability to create a fake tooth with properties that would make it almost real. “Humankind’s use of materials to augment or repair the body dates to antiquity, when natural materials such as wood were used in an attempt to structurally replace tiss...
Nanotechnology includes nanorobots which are so small that they can be injected into the human bloodstream after which the nanorobots can do investigations or repair at cellular level. Nanorobots could optimize the delivery of pharmaceutical products, these means that medicines which are targeted on a specific type of cells can be delivered to only those cells by the nanorobots. The robots can attach to the cells after which they can inject the drug into the target cells. This could be a great breakthrough for cancer treatments such as chemotherapy because there is a minimal chance of injecting healthy cells with the drug and therefor negative side effects can be avoided.
By convention, the field of healthcare research was entirely occupied by physicians and doctors. They were the ones who came up with new methods to treat diseases and get better results from diagnostic tests. Technology, on the other hand, was always looked at as a way to solve problems that we faced that didn’t pertain to the medical sector. It was employed to enhance the quality of life and make day to day work easier. But as technology progressed, so did the areas of application. The structural balancing techniques which were previously used to hold a building steady were now being used to develop near-perfect artificial joints and prosthetic limbs. Transparent polymers, developed to enhance robotic vision, were being suggested as a candidate for an artificial lens for the human eye. Before anyone could even understand what was happening, engineering had taken up the mantle to further medical technology to dizzying new heights.
I have chosen nanotechnology as my topic area of choice from the food innovation module.
The procedures that will be the future of modern medicine currently fall into the realms of taboo and fictional. These procedures encompass every aspect of medical science, from exploration of the human body, curing diseases, to improving a person’s quality of life. Many of these procedures are not very well known, while a few have been in the spotlight. These procedures include cloning, nano-robotics, retro-viruses, and genetic manipulation via gene-specific medications. For any serious breakthroughs in modern medical science, we must embrace these new forms of treatment instead of shying away from them. Second, I’ll attempt to explain how these methods and procedures could benefit mankind.