Nanomedicine and Nanorobot: Mini Review

Challenges in Nanorobots Application

Micro/nanomotors are essential for in vivo applications like cargo transport and medication administration, as they must pass immune system clearance to avoid rejection as foreign material. They must also pass through barriers made of tissues and cells to reach remote parts of the host body, providing treatment with extreme accuracy. The performance of nanorobots depends on their design, which must be carefully studied to be efficient in various biological applications. It is vital to carefully assess the nanorobot’s form, propulsion source, and structure to project it as an ideal sensor or delivery system for theranostics (a combination of the terms therapies and diagnostics) applications [10]. Autonomous micro/nanomotors enable the active distribution of therapeutic molecules to the place of interest due to their tissue retention, directed movement, and penetration capabilities. This method often involves encasing the medicine, gene, or protein within micro- or nanorobots, guiding them to the desired location, and releasing them in response to internal or external cues.

Wang, et al. [9] have illustrated the potential of artificial catalytic micromotors in surgical procedures, including medication administration and release [11]. Ultrasound- triggered microbullets have been used in precision nanosurgery and biolistic circulation. Self-propelling nanotools can perform surgeries at an organism’s remote location. However, challenges remain, such as tiny motors needing improved penetration and resolving biocompatibility concerns [12].

Nanorobots in dentistry can enhance orthodontic therapies, tooth durability, and dentine hypersensitivity.

Some notable applications include nanoneedles, facilitating painless tooth rotation, vertical repositioning and uprighting during orthodontic operations, osseointegration and anaesthesia, and transferring dentine tubules to reduce tooth hypersensitivity [13]. The availability of polymeric materials makes these applications possible. Examples of bio nanocomposites made with polymers include silk, alginate, collagen, poly (lactic acid), poly (lactic- co-glycolic acid), poly (caprolactone), and poly (glycolic acid). The inorganic materials used are bioactive glass nanoparticles, hydroxyapatite, magnetic nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, TiO2, Ag or Au nanoparticles, graphene oxide, and silica nanoparticles.

Nanorobots can significantly improve treatment for spinal cord injuries and nerve damage by using enriched scaffolds to enhance nerve reconnections and regrow axons. Axon surgery uses a 40 nm diameter nano knife regulated via dielectrophoresis and electrofusion [14]. Other methods include polyethene glycol or laser-induced cell fusion. Nanorobots also have applications in selective cancer cell eradication and precise nerve reconnecting. They can also monitor and screen for developing aneurysms, preventing premature death in patients with brain aneurysms.

Nanorobots have the potential to revolutionize biomedical procedures, including less invasive surgery, patient monitoring, and early illness detection. They can control blood pressure in heart patients, identify cancer early, and monitor blood glucose levels in diabetics.

Clinicians can also optimize medication and food consumption using gathered data.

Wearable technology and nanorobots are expected to be combined for medical purposes shortly. Despite the acceptance of wearable technologies, concerns about toxicity, biocompatibility, and introduction-related dangers hinder their practical use. Due to a lack of official regulations, the FDA is reluctant to approve such systems. Despite these obstacles, the potential of nanorobots in medicine remains promising [15].

Nanotechnology Application in Medicine in the Future

Nanotechnology is a growing field that combines traditional scientific fields like biology, materials science, chemistry, physics, medicine, and physics to create novel technologies. It has numerous potential uses, including developing new instruments and refining existing methods (Figure 2) [16]. The field has seen an exponential rise in interest, leading to the discovery of new uses in medicine and the formation of nanomedicine. Nanomedicine encompasses various scientific and technological fields, such as diagnosing, treating, preventing, and mitigating pain, trauma, and illness, optimizing human health through nanoscale architectured materials, genetic engineering, and biotechnology, and developing sophisticated machine systems and nanorobots [17].

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Nanotechnology has revolutionized medicine by developing nanoparticles for various applications, including drug and gene delivery, theranostics, drug screening, tissue engineering, cancer treatment, illness detection, biomarker mapping, and bio-imaging.

In vivo, diagnostics and nanomedicine enable the development of medical devices to detect and quantify harmful substances and tumour cells within the human body. With the help of an inbuilt computer, these gadgets may perform semi-autonomous on-site surgery. They can also interact with the supervising surgeon via coded ultrasonic signals. Scientists have created self-sustaining, implanted medical devices, sensors, and portable electronics by transforming mechanical energy from body movement, muscle stretching, or water flow into electricity [16]. Power is generated in nanogenerators made on polymer-based films by bending and releasing piezoelectric and semiconducting zinc oxide nanowires. The long-term impact of nanomedicine research is the description of quantifiable molecular-scale components known as nanomachinery. The precise control and management of nanomachinery within cells can yield a more sophisticated understanding of organic cell functioning and develop novel technologies for illness diagnosis and treatment. This study aims to create a platform technology that influences nanoscale imaging techniques to look into molecular pathways in organic cells [18].