IN DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM
Nano medicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. The approaches to nanomedicine range from the medical use of nonmaterial's, to nanoelectronic biosensors, and even possible future applications of molecular. These nanoparticles are much brighter than organic dyes and only need one light source for excitation. Researchers at Rice University under Prof. Jennifer West have demonstrated the use of 120 nm diameter nanoshells coated with gold to kill cancer tumors in mice.
Period Before nanotechnology (past) Transition period (present) Mature nanotechnology (future)
Technology Emulsion-based preparation of nano/micro particles Nano/micro fabrication Nano/micro manufacturing
Examples –Liposomes –Microchip systems –Nano/micro machines for scale-up production
–Polymer micelles –Micro needle transdermal delivery systems
–Dendrimers–Nanoparticles –Layer-by-layer assembled systems
–Nanocrystals –Micro dispensed particles
–Micro particles
Nano particles are small but the subject is big! One cannot use a human arm to massage the hurt leg of an ant. Nanoparticles are most suited to reach sub-cellular levels. It is harder to make smaller nano-particles of drugs compared to hard materials. Drug delivery is aimed at influencing the biochemistry of the body. With the advent of nanoparticle it is now possible to selectively influence the cellular processes at their natural scales. It is defined as a particle with at least one dimension <100nm. Nanotech is expected to bring a fundamental change in manufacturing in the next few years.
With the development of nanotech, it is now possible to produce drug nanoparticles that can be utilized in a variety of innovative ways some of the salient features are
o Particle less than 100 nm
o Small size
o High surface area
o Easy to suspend in liquids
o Particles smaller than 200nm can be easily
o sterilized by filtration with a 0.22 micron filter
o Deep access to cells and organelles
o Variable optical & magnetic properties
It is greatly observed that nanoparticles are promising tools for the advancement of drug delivery, medical imaging, and as diagnostic sensors. However, the biodistribution of these nanoparticles is
Mostly unknown due to the difficulty in targeting specific organs in the body.
