Tomorrow's Healthcare by Nano-sized Approaches. A Bold Future for Medicine

MESSINA PAULA VERÓNICA; BENEDINI, LUCIANO A.; PLACENTE, DAMIÁN

CRC Press

Año: 2020 p. 292

9780367023010

Without knowing it, we have evolved with nanotechnology. To obtain evidence, we just have to go back to ancient India, 600 years BC, where carbon nanotubes and nanowires were already in use for the manufacture of steel. People in those times already benefited from the singular properties of manipulating matter at the nano-metric scale. Around 460-370 BC, The Greek philosopher Democritus proposed the first atomic model and, with it, he implanted the seed of understanding the fundament of matter. Obviously, associated with this idea, the embryonic desire of ?manipulating matter at the atomic level? was engendered in human beings. As we learned more, fantastic portraits fused with scientific facts and prophetic ideas gave rise to a new vision that moved away from the supernatural, which was governed by rational or pseudo-rational principles. This was also the foundation for ?science fiction?. Nevertheless, let us move forward to Richard Feynman?s lecture ??There?s Plenty of Room at the Bottom??, where the first conception of matter reduction at the atomic level and the ?mechanical surgeons? were introduced, followed by Norio Taniguchi?s conference and K. Eric Drexler?s book ??Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology??, where the notion of ?nanotechnology?, ?molecular engineering? and ?nanoscale assembler? as active, nano-size concepts progressed. Thus, the human dream of accessing the matter, to manipulate it on an atomic level and to enjoy the extraordinary properties associated is not original. The novelty, so to speak, is that we now have the talent to comprehend the performance of matter at an atomic level and the equipment to handle it with discretion, thus being able to access the promises that it entails. Now, in the year 2020 AC, dreams and science fiction have become a tangible reality. We ride at the Era of Nanotechnology, where the idea of the manipulation of matter at the nanoscale is completely installed and has changed the whole vision of making and learning science. The matrimony of nanotechnology and medicine gave birth to nanomedicine. This field is recognized as a global challenge, and countless worldwide research and business initiatives for the application of nanotechnology to medical care are being developed; the central themes of this book.Presently, the nanotechnology facilities at the service of medicine preserve and improve human health through a better diagnosing, treating of chronic illness or traumatic injury, relieving pain, providing specific and targeted drug delivery carriers, artificial antibodies, and much more. Nevertheless, the ambition is immense and goes further- it attempts towards the construction of nanobots that will capture chemical and physical information from a disease site, bring it to an implanted chip where analysis is carried out and communicate wirelessly with doctors outside the body who monitor and guide healing. This will revolutionize the way we detect and treat diseases in the human body. Furthermore, nanomedicine drives towards the construction of nano- smart missile that selectively seeks out and annihilates tumour cells, virus and/or bacteria. In addition, it attempts towards the manipulation of DNA in order to solve degenerative or congenital diseases, towards the induction of precise cellular responses to regenerate damaged or missing tissue, and even more, towards the construction of artificial white, red and platelet blood cells.In the eleven chapters of this book, we try to summarize the world of exciting possibilities that the application of nanotechnology to medicine offers us. How it has the potential to eliminate all common diseases of the 20th century, to revolutionize individual and population-based health in the 21st century and how it contributes to the extension of human physical and mental capacities. This brings us to the question of the suitability or of the unscrupulous use of nanomedicine that leads to the controversy and fear of its application. As a double-edged weapon, the dangers and negative consequences of its application for destructive purposes should not be taken for granted. Nevertheless, in the not too distant future, we could visualize a world where medical nano-devices are routinely inserted or even inoculated into the bloodstream to screen health and, automatically, play a part in the repair and maintenance of tissue and organs to give us a superior quality of life. Seeing its potential, government initiatives will support this technology and its access to all people around the world. In this scenario, nanomedicine?s public health applications will include rapid and portable diagnoses, vaccines that are more effective, and the eradication of poverty-related diseases (PRDs). Diseases of poverty (also known as poverty-related diseases) are diseases that are more prevalent in low-income populations. They include infectious diseases, as well as diseases related to malnutrition and poor health behaviors.The technology has great potential and there is nothing malicious in it, if it is properly applied. The solution lies in our hands. Like we once dreamt, understood and effectively manipulated matter at the nanoscale to apply its benefits in medical care, similarly, it is our responsibility to build a safe way to use and to control it, addressing social, moral and religious concerns.This is a challenge for us and for the future generations who will read this book.