PerspectivesAre you interested in submitting a Perspective Article? Be sure to read The Science Advisory Board's Editorial Guides for Perspective Articles. Click here. Nanotechnology to solve global problems by Wim D’Haeze, Ph.D. An elegant, scholarly, and complete definition of “nanotechnology” was recently published by Salamanca-Buentello et al. (PLoS Medicine 2005;2:e97)z; “Nanotechnology is the study, design, creation, synthesis, manipulation, and application of functional materials, devices, and systems through control of matter at the nanometer scale (1 to 100 nanometers; one nanometer being equal to 1 × 10-9 of a meter), that is, at the atomic and molecular levels, and the exploitation of novel phenomena and properties of matter at that scale”. As suggested by this definition, nanotechnology is multidisciplinary and involves techniques and methodologies from a number of scientific areas, including analytical and organic chemistry, molecular biology and genetics, physics, material science, and engineering. Consequently, the increasing number of research institutions and companies dedicated to develop nanotechnology-based approaches meant to solve global problems will employ scientists with a broad interdisciplinary scientific background. Several important applications with potential to have a large impact on the world are noteworthy. Nanotechnology can help to improve energy storage and production through the use of novel hydrogen storage systems involving carbon nanotubes and other light-weighted materials. Carbon nanotubes were recently also applied to construct a nanoscale thermometer that consists of a carbon nanotube filled with liquid gallium and that can be used in a variety of micro-environmental applications. Another application of nanotechnology is the enhancement of agricultural productivity by using, for instance, nanoporous zeolites for the controlled and efficient dosage of water and fertilizers to plants. Along those lines, nanocapsules might be useful for herbicide delivery, water treatment, and remediation; in addition, nanomembranes can be applied for water purification, and nanosensors for the detection of contaminants and the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Nanotechnology could help to reduce waste and provide sustainable food, water, and energy. Nanoparticles could also be used as sensors to monitor air or drinking water for the presence of toxins. Furthermore, it is likely that nanosensors could be networked to monitor the quality of our environment in a continuous manner. Pollution-absorbing nanoparticles could be used to purify contaminated water or soil. Nanosensors might also monitor air-borne pollution and provide nanocatalysts to improve air quality. Additional benefits, including the development of surfaces that minimize microbial colonization by the inclusion of antimicrobial substances and cell-signaling molecules, have obvious medical applications in prosthetics and implants. Other more medical-oriented applications include the use of nanotechnology in the isolation of pure populations of cells from heterogeneous cell suspensions, an approach which constitutes an essential part of basic and clinical research. The diagnostic test for HIV infection, for instance, requires the separation of human lymphocytes from whole blood and recent advances in stem cell research require the isolation of altered cells from others. In addition, nanotechnology has applications in disease diagnosis and treatment (e.g., antibody dendrimer conjugates for diagnosis of HIV and cancer), and can be used to design smart drug delivery systems (e.g., nanocapsules that deliver drugs to an extremely specific target such as cancer cells). The latter will considerably enhance the therapeutic potential due to direct effective delivery of new types of drugs to the desired location in the human body. No less important is the promise of nanotechnology-mediated methodologies to produce durable, rejection-resistant artificial tissues and organs (e.g., the pace maker in the heart and hearing devices). In addition, nanoscale tools will facilitate surgery on individual cells and be used to unravel unknown biological functions. Currently, clinicians rely on the spontaneous, self-organizing ability of cells and tissues to heal the components they manipulated. In the case of nanotechnology-based cell-surgery devices, it will be possible to rely on the spontaneous self-organizing capabilities of molecules to join and heal the components that are brought into contact. Despite the rapid advances in nanotechnology and its cutting-edge applications, many concerns are currently being raised that need further attention. Is the use of nanotechnology-mediated methodologies in medicine completely safe? Nanoparticles, for instance, used in drug delivery maybe suspended in the air or be absorbed by or penetrate the skin (e.g., particles that are coated with a lipophylic layer). Ethical concerns have been raised as well. What are the possible risks associated with widely spreading nanoparticles that are able to self-replicate. The manipulation of molecules to produce genetic material, including novel self-replicating substances with no equivalent in nature, poses several potential risks. Are these risks fully understood and if so, are we able to regulate and control them? What other environmental risks may we think of that are posed through nanotechnology-mediated applications, either now or in the foreseeable future? Furthermore, as suggested above, nanotechnology will in the long run extend the average lifespan of humans and one may wonder how a substantially increased lifespan of several billion people worldwide may affect issues like health care and social security, retirement, and population. It is predicted that within a few decades we will have access to: artificial organs, nanomaterials for hydrogen storage fuel cells, ultra-light materials for construction and transport, etc. Owing to the fact that a vast majority of the global population resides in the least or less developed countries, the economies of which are still being affected by hunger and the struggle against devastating infectious diseases, one may wonder whether, for instance, site-specific nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery approaches will ever be applied to the poor individuals living in those countries. Developments in nanotechnology should be strongly supported if they aim to solve global problems such as purifying rivers and lakes more rapidly and effectively, and simplifying the diagnosis of HIV infection or cell-specific drug delivery. On the other hand, it’s striking and noteworthy that the more developed countries are still unable to solve the major existing problems of less developed countries. Under those circumstances, further shaping of the scientific discipline of nanotechnology will likely broaden the gap between developed and less developed countries. Regardless the nanotechnology tools that will be generated and constructed in the near future should be commercialized in such a manner that their effective and efficient global distribution and use is guaranteed. Wim D’Haeze is Bio-Engineer in Chemistry and received his Ph.D. in Biotechnology at Ghent University (Belgium) in June 2001. His doctoral thesis work was focused on the understanding of several early steps of the symbiotic interaction between the Gram-negative soil bacterium Azorhizobium caulinodans and the tropical legume Sesbania rostrata. The initial steps require the production of bacterial compounds including signal molecules and complex surface polysaccharides that are pivotal for invasion of the plant tissue and the formation of new organ tissues. In the three subsequent years, he performed post-doctoral research at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at the University of Georgia (Athens, GA) dealing in part with the structural and functional characterization of azorhizobial extracellular polysaccharides. Currently, Wim D’Haeze is employed at The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA) as Science Writer and focuses on a new horizon regarding the molecular basis of devastative neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, in order to screen for and develop new therapeutics. E-mail: wim.dhaeze@sbcglobal.net ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Perspectives ] |
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