NANOTECHNOLOGY IS AN IDEA THAT MOST PEOPLE SIMPLY DIDN'T BELIEVE.
— Ralph Merkle
NIH NANOMEDICINE ROADMAP INITIATIVE
What if doctors could search out and destroy the very first cancer cells that would otherwise have caused a tumor to develop in the body? What if a broken part of a cell could be removed and replaced with a miniature biological machine? What if pumps the size of molecules could be implanted to deliver life-saving medicines precisely when and where they are needed?
These scenarios may sound unbelievable, but they are the long-term goals of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap's Nanomedicine initiative that NIH anticipate will yield medical benefits as early as 10 years from its launching in 2005.
Nanomedicine, an offshoot of nanotechnology, refers to highly specific medical intervention at the molecular scale for curing disease or repairing damaged tissues, such as bone, muscle, or nerve. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, too small to be seen with a conventional lab microscope. It is at this size scale – about 100 nanometers or less – that biological molecules and structures inside living cells operate.
Nanotechnology involves the creation and use of materials and devices at the level of molecules and atoms. Research in nanotechnology began with discoveries of novel physical and chemical properties of various metallic or carbon-based materials that only appear for structures at nanometer-sized dimensions. Understanding these nanoscale properties permits engineers to build new structures and use these materials in new ways. The same holds true for the biological structures inside living cells of the body.
Researchers have developed powerful tools to extensively categorize the parts of cells in vivid detail, and we know a great deal about how these intracellular structures operate. Yet, scientists have still not been able to answer questions such as, "How many?" "How big?" and "How fast?" These answers must be provided to fully understand cellular structures in order to repair them or build new "nano" structures that can safely operate inside the body. This will lead to better diagnostic tools and engineered nanoscale structures for more specific treatments of diseased or damaged tissues.
To meet these challenges, the NIH established a national network of eight Nanomedicine Development Centers, which serve as the intellectual and technological centerpiece of the National Institutes of Health Nanomedicine Roadmap Initiative. These collaborative centers are staffed by multidisciplinary research teams including biologists, physicians, mathematicians, engineers and computer scientists. In the initial phase of the program (FY2005-FY2010), research has been primarily directed toward gathering extensive information about the chemical and physical properties of nanoscale biological structures.
As this catalogue of the interactions between individual molecules and larger structures develops, we are gaining a greater understanding of the intricate operations of molecular structures, processes, and networks inside living cells. This information is crucial to understanding nature's rules of biological design that, in turn, will enable researchers to correct defects in unhealthy cells.
This research requires the development of new tools to probe and manipulate nanoscale biological structures. These tools will allow scientists to build new devices for a wide range of biomedical applications, such as detecting infectious agents or metabolic imbalances with novel, tiny sensors, replacing “broken” machinery inside cells with new nanoscale structures, or generating miniature devices that search for, and destroy, infectious agents. This initiative is an important component of the NIH Roadmap endeavor because these tools will be developed and applied, not just for a single disease or particular type of cell, but for a wide range of tissues and diseases.
A second phase for the program has recently been approved. During this phase of the Nanomedicine initiative, the acquired fundamental knowledge and developed tools will be applied to understanding and treating disease. Centers will continue to expand knowledge of the basic science of nanostructures in living cells, will gain the capability to engineer biological nanostructures, and then will apply the knowledge, tools, and devices to focus on specific target diseases. The bold, exciting challenges of this program represent a unique approach to combine nanoscale science - understanding and manipulating cellular nanostructures – with specific medical therapies.
Support for the National Institutes of Health Roadmap and its initiatives is provided by the National Institutes of Health Common Fund, and teams of staff across the NIH direct and oversee each initiative. Biomedical scientists who wish to discuss Grants and Funding Opportunities should contact Dr. Richard S. Fisher, Nanomedicine Project Team Leader (nano@nih.gov).
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI). National Institutes of Health. January 01, 2011. http://commonfund.nih.gov/nanomedicine/overview.aspx
IMPORTANT FUNDING FOR NANOMEDICINE RESEARCH TO IMPROVE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Toronto, Ontario, March 16, 2011 – Seven new research projects on regenerative medicine and nanomedicine received $16 million in funding. The studies, co-funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), were announced today at the University of Toronto by Dr. Colin Carrie, Member of Parliament for Oshawa; Dr. Jane Aubin, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis; Mr. Gilles Leclerc, Director General, Space Exploration at the Canadian Space Agency; and Professor Peter Lewis, Associate Vice President (Research) at the University of Toronto.
"The Government of Canada is proud to support regenerative medicine and nanomedicine projects that will translate into improved health for Canadians," said Dr. Carrie. "The knowledge that emerges from these research projects could also have wide ranging social and economic benefits."
"CIHR is delighted to partner with the Canadian Space Agency to support research aimed at developing technologies and approaches to improve patient outcome," said Dr. Aubin. "The research projects announced today seek to offer new therapies and approaches to treat illnesses and diseases, and ultimately offer better quality of life for patients and their families."
Research on nanomedicine and regenerative medicine is designed to prevent disease and improve human health. Nanomedicine delivers medical technologies that detect or function at the molecular level to diagnose and treat disease, while regenerative medicine stimulates the renewal of bodily tissues and organs or restores function through natural and bioengineered means...By promoting research in these areas, CIHR and CSA will be moving Canada to the forefront of modern medical research.
The projects underwent a rigorous and competitive peer review process and were selected according to international standards of scientific excellence. Included in those new research projects co-funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is funding that will enable Dr. Petier Cullis, University of British Columbia, to potentially create personalized nanomedicines that silence cancer-causing genes; and Dr. Gang Zheng, University Health Network (UHN), to develop nanotechnology-enabled image-guided methods of diagnosing and treating lung cancer and vascular diseases.
Pieter R. Cullis, PhD. is a professor at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver) in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Founding Director of the Centre for Drug Research and Development.
Gang Zheng, PhD. is Senior Scientist at the University Health Network's Division of Biophysics and Bioimaging and member of the Ontario Cancer Institute; one of the three UHN institutes. University Health Network is home to Canada's largest biomedical research institute. Its three research institutes are located at UHN's three member hospitals in Toronto. As hospital-based centres, all three UHN institutes pursue a clinically-relevant program of research that spans the spectrum from basic discovery research to translational research to clinical research. UHN institutes and researchers are affiliated with the University of Toronto.
News Release, Important Funding for Nanomedicine Research To Improve Diagnosis and Treatment. Canada News Centre, Government of Canada. March 16, 2011. http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?nid=600629, accessed May 9, 2011.
NANOROBOTICS
By far the most interesting future of the nanotechnological world involves nanorobotics, the creation of miniature robots that will respond to stimuli, move, communicate, and work together, adapt to the environment, repair, and even replicate themselves.
The most commonly hypothesized application of nanorobotics is to medicine. Nanomedicine, as the combination of nanotechnology to medicine is named, will allow for the building of nanorobots to play an important role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of illness. In fact, there has already been testing of "laboratories on a chip" that can perform in vivo (inside the body) tests to provide doctors with the patient’s condition.
It is also theorized that nanorobots can be made into devices resembling artificial white-blood cells that will play a role in the immune system. Furthermore, nanorobots can also be programmed to repair body tissue and monitor body functions.
Research has also been conducted in showing that nanorobotics can aid in the reparation of neurological and bone damage although the precise roles they will play is still unclear.
In surgery, nanorobots will also have an important role. Because of their size, nanorobots will be able to interact with the patient on the molecular level thus, are able to more readily to meet the needs of each unique patient. It is very possible in the near future that surgery may shift to the nanoscale.
Oracle Education Foundation (OEF) is an online educational service provided to Users for educational and noncommercial use. The OEF provides ThinkQuest as a free service to K-12 schools globally, for students to develop key 21st century skills, including technology, communication, cross-cultural understanding and teamwork skills.
Nanobot. Nanotechnology. ThinkQuest, Oracle Education Foundation. http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01179/nanobots.html, accessed May 10, 2011.
