NANOMEDICINE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY: THE FUTURE OF PHARMACY

Abstract

Nanomedicine can address many importantmedical problems by using nanoscale-structured materials and simple nanodevices that can bemanufactured today, including the interaction of nano-structured materials with biological systems.Nanoparticles with an even greater range for the early detectionand therapy of brain cancer, using silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles with a biocompatible polyethylene glycol coating.The miniscule size of the particles 20-200 nanometres should allow them to penetrate into areas of the brain that would otherwise be severely damaged by invasive surgery.The particles are attached to a cancer cell antibody or other tracer molecule that adheres to cancer cells, and are affixed with a nanopacket ofcontrast agent that makes the particles highly visible during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).The particles alsoenhance the killing effect during the subsequent laser irradiation of brain tissue, concentrating the destructive effect only on sick cells unlike traditional chemotherapy  and radiation which kills cancerous cells but also destroys healthy cells.Nanoparticles allow MRI to see a few small brain tumor cells as small as 50 microns depending on the cancer type, tumor cells can range from 5-50 microns each and may grow in locations separate from the tumor site.