Nanomedicine as a field describes the implementation of nanotechnologies, i.e. nanoscale materials, particles or devices, to improve medical diagnostics, monitoring, control, prevention and treatment of diseases (DeFronzo, 2013). To better visualise this, let’s start with what is exactly nanoscale. In this case, it would include dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers, which is a billionth of a meter. In comparison, human hair is around 90,000 nm wide (National Geographic Society, n.d.).
The importance
Nanotechnology as a whole was described by the EU Science Hub, as one of the key enabling technologies, that has the potential to revolutionize many fields, especially medicine and health care.
(Chen & Wang, 2018)
One of the most prominent successes of nanomedicine is advancements in drug delivery systems. Why is that?
The usage of nanoscale particles allows for the targeted delivery of drugs to specific cells or tissues, resulting in increased effectiveness and thus, highly reduced side effects. The human body can consist of between 50 to 100 trillion cells, so how exactly can particles be targeted?
One of the instances is when nanoparticles are designed to bind to specific receptors, allowing not only for targeted delivery of drugs but also ensuring their sustained and controlled release. Since there is little to no drug leakage to untargeted cells or organs and the dosage can be more distributed in time, this solution can greatly increase the efficacy of the treatment while reducing side effects to healthy cells in many diseases. In addition, nanoparticles can be designed to protect drugs from degradation or clearance by the body, leading to increased bioavailability of the drug (Chen & Yang, 2021).
Nanoparticles in cancer treatment
One of the most progressive areas of applied nanotechnology in drug delivery systems is in the treatment of cancer. Several nanoparticle-based cancer therapies are currently in clinical trials, including those utilizing liposomes (small artificial spherical vesicles), dendrimers (highly defined artificial macromolecules), and polymeric nanoparticles (Wang & Yang, 2021). These nanoparticles are designed to easily reach cancerous cells and deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to the tumour site. One example of nanomedicine is Doxil, mainly used to treat ovarian cancer. It contains a chemotherapy drug enclosed in a liposome – a spherical vessel with a diameter of 90 nm. The liposome is able to stay longer within the bloodstream to find the targeted cancer cells and destroy them, which leads to high improvement in the effectiveness of the drug and reduction of side effects imposed on the healthy cells (Doudna & Charpentier, 2014).
Genetic disorders vs nanotechnology
Another quickly advancing area of nanotechnology in drug delivery is in the treatment of genetic disorders. Nanoparticles can be used to deliver genetic therapies to specific cells or tissues and either silence the gene (eg. through siRNA) causing disease or correct genetic mutations (with CRISPR). For example, the company Moderna Therapeutics (yes, the same as from COVID vaccines) is developing a nanoparticle-based mRNA therapy for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (Moderna Therapeutics, 2020). CF is one of the most common genetic disorders, mainly causing overproduction of mucus in the lungs, with almost 200 000 cases globally and only a 53-year-old life expectancy (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2022). The therapy aims to deliver mRNA encoding with the missing CFTR protein (which regulates the production of the mucus) directly to the lungs via nanoparticles, allowing for the correction of the genetic mutation that causes the disease. Even 10 years ago, people with CF were to solely live up to 38 years in dreadful health conditions with an untreatable disease. However, with new solutions in targeted delivery nanomedicine, their chances for a better life are greatly increasing.
How about vaccines?
Nanotechnology can also be used for delivering nanoparticle-based vaccines for the treatment of various infectious diseases, and allergies. These vaccines use nanoparticles to mimic the structure of viruses, leading to a stronger immune response (Wang & Li, 2022). This application of nanomedicine may become especially important given the unpredictability of global outbreaks and the constant need to enhance human immunity.
Preparing for the future
Taking all the above into consideration, nanotechnology has the potential to become a revolutionary solution in drug delivery systems. The ability to target specific cells, tissues, or organs, as also prevent drugs from premature degradation can greatly increase the efficacy of treatments while reducing side effects on healthy cells. Destroying solely cancerous cells, attempting to fully treat CF, and further enhancing human immunity make something that was thought to be impossible possible. As the field of nanotechnology continues to advance, we can hopefully expect to see more and more nano-based therapies entering markets and helping humanity fight for one of the most important parts of life – their health.
Bibliography:
DeFronzo, R. A., (2013). Insulin resistance: a multifaceted syndrome responsible for NIDDM, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The New England Journal of Medicine, 328473-491. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12403
National Geographic Society. (n.d.). Nanotechnology. [Online]. Available from: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/nanotechnology
Chen, H., & Wang, J. (2018). Progress and perspectives of CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing in plants. Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 16(1), 1-9. doi: 10.1186/s12951-018-0392-8
Chen, C. Y., & Yang, Y. (2021). CRISPR-mediated genome editing: a powerful tool for crop improvement. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 19(2), 464-476. doi: 10.1111/pbi.13359
Wang, H., & Yang, H. (2021). CRISPR-mediated genome editing in animals. Journal of Genetics and Genomics, 48(1), 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2020.12.001
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Moderna Therapeutics. (2020). Moderna and Vertex establish new collaboration to treat cystic fibrosis using gene editing. [Online]. Available from: https://investors.modernatx.com/news/news-details/2020/Moderna-and-Vertex-Establish-New-Collaboration-to-Treat-Cystic-Fibrosis-Using-Gene-Editing/
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. (2022). People with CF are living longer—what does this mean for our care? [Online]. Available from: https://www.cff.org/community-posts/2022-08/people-cf-are-living-longer-what-does-mean-our-care
Wang, J., & Li, Y. (2022). CRISPR-based gene therapy for genetic diseases. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 21(1), 53-68. doi: 10.1038/s41565-022-01129-w