By Nicole Tolmachev

Nanorobotics are the hottest stuff in today’s medical research. They bring a lot of benefits and new ways to cure diseases, that were deemed incurable until now. As always, there are two sides with this matter. Since nanorobotic research in the medical field is quite new compared to others, there still are risks and things unknown. In this article, let’s find out why nanorobots are considered future life-savers.

What is nano?

Nano is used as a prefix for measuring units. It means 1/1 000 000 000, for example 1 nanometre (nm) translates to a 1/1 000 000 000 metre. In my opinion visualizing something is a very helpful for understanding. So, to do that let us compare one nm to a soccer ball. Their size relation would be the same as comparing the size of the same soccer ball to our home planet, Earth.

Materials, systems and processes, which are smaller than 100 nm are considered nano. 

A little fun fact: the word nano originated in Greece and means dwarf.

Now that we established what nano is, let’s dive straight into the pros and cons of using nanorobots and other nanodevices in medicine.

A potential cure for cancer

With the start of research in this field its prospect crystallized quickly: that nanodevices are technology that bear a lot of potential. They can be used to diagnose and cure diseases as well as improving prosthetics and implants. For example, nanosensors are super sensitive devices, which can be implanted seamlessly into our bodies. They can notice the smallest changes inside them in the shortest amount of time. By sending this data to doctors or hospitals, diseases like cancer (and other more insignificant illnesses can be identified and cured a lot faster) can be diagnosed quickly before we even notice the disease ourselves.

But that’s just one of the many benefits of nanotechnology. Another use would be the transportation of medical compounds. By transporting them via nanorobots, those compounds can be brought directly to the source and cross natural barriers in our bodies. Because nanomaterials are so small, they can transport material to our brain through veins, thus giving us an opportunity to cure diseases like Alzheimer and osteoporosis way more effectively. Zuricher scientists already developed a nanorobot capable of this.

It is also possible to coat active agents in nanoparticles to make them become more stable. With this, scientists would achieve a better tolerance to medicine and a dosed release, when needed, reducing the needed amount of compound.

Now coming back to the before mentioned nanosensors, because those are the clue for curing cancer in its earliest stages. As for now there are two possible ways to cure cancer with nanotechnology. What both have in common is, that they start the curing upon noticing the first diseased cells through nanosensors and that they do not damage healthy cell material.

The first method involces releasing nano iron oxide particles into the blood. Those nanoparticles proceed to make their way to the cancer cells. Attaching themselves to the cancer cells, they destroy just the diseased body tissue through electro-magnetic vibration and leave the healthy tissue untouched. This method is far better than chemotherapy, since with chemotherapy we can’t assure that the healthy cells are left unaffected.

Another way would be to release magnetic nanospirals into our blood flow. They would circulate in our blood and attract the cancer cells, making them permanently stuck to them. Due to the magnetic properties of those nanospirals they can be easily removed from our body, taking the cancer cells with them.

Both those methods have been tested before and have shown positive results. The first method has already been implemented. Because both those methods have a potential of curing cancer without damaging unaffected body tissue, they are being researched further on, with the hopes of optimizing them even more.

Having explained some of the main pros of using nanotechnology in medicine, I want to bring up a few more example of the potential uses of nanorobots and nanotechnology before going to the cons.

Stem cell research and nanotechnology

Nanotechnologies can help stem cells to turn into any other type of cell needed in the human body at any moment, but for that to succeed we need to encourage stem cell research. This method was tested on mice and has shown good results. In one of our previous articles we discussed stem cell research and it’s benefits so, if you want an in-depth explanation on that topic, make sure to check out our article Misunderstanding the embryos and ethics! 

Nanosensors: I have mentioned those little wonders a lot already. They can be used in diabetes treatment as well. The sensors can collect data on blood sugar levels and release insulin when needed, without the hassle of having to check blood sugar levels manually.

Cardiovascular diseases can also be cured and prevented with the help of nanorobots. When injected they circulate with our blood and keep our blood vessels from clogging and repair ill tissue.

I could go on and on with more important future uses of nanoscience in the medical field, but I think it’s time for the cons and potential risks of using these tiny helpers.

Can nanoparticles damage our bodies?

The risks of using nanoparticles are being researched just as much as their benefits. A good example is nano silver particles that are already commonly used in for example cosmetics and food packaging.  They have been used for even longer in band aids. Nano silver has antibacterial properties and is used a lot because of that. One of the problems it causes is that germs are increasingly becoming resistant to nano silver. It’s a similar process as with resistances to antibiotics.

Other studies have shown, that nano silver particles are harmful to the lungs of rats and other cell cultures. It still has to be explored further how harmful it would be to humans, but one thing is for sure: Their size plays a significant role in that. It was proven, that nanoparticles are mostly held back by our skin, but when inhaled or consumed orally they can easily cross the blood-brain-barrier. So far it hasn’t been proven, that nanoparticles cause any brain damage.

One interesting fact about nanoparticles is that they have their own physical and chemical rules, since they are a thing created by us humans exclusively. That is fascinating in my opinion, but bears problems when it comes to analyzing them. Scientist are not only researching the particles themselves, but also effective research methods.

Of course, human failure and malfunctions of nanotechnology like the robots and sensors are something not to be forgotten. There’s always the risk of a technical error and when it does happen, it should not be taken lightly. Nanotechnology still has to be explored properly about what could happen (e.g. a mechanical defect), but that’s what IT researchers and specialists are for.

The conclusion

Nanorobotics and other nanomaterials are bearers of hope for many scientists and medicine in general. The funding of this research field keeps increasing. In 2014 the global funding of nanoscience exceeded the 125 Billion USD mark and still is rising. The industry and global governments are confident in the potential of nanotechnology. That’s why they keep pumping money for research purposes. I think that the pros and current successes overweigh the cons. With enough research the potential uses can be optimized and transferred to even more fields. I think it’s important to put emphasis to the cancer curing part of nanoscience, because finding a cure to this disease has been an unsolvable problem of medicine for the longest time. Exploring and diminishing the risks is an important cause for that to work, which makes more research an even bigger necessity.