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A Bright Future:
Nanomedicine
The Milestones of Nanomedicine
First Artificial Cells in the 1960s
The first artificial cells is created by Tomas Chang at McGill University. It is prepared by a synthetic membrane to replace RBC membrane that contains hemoglobin and red blood cells enzymes. Membranes for artificial cells be made of simple polymers, crosslinked proteins, lipid membranes or polymer-lipid complexes. (T1)
The Discovery of Liposomes in 1961
A liposome is a tiny bubble (vesicle), made out of the same material as a cell membrane. Liposomes can be filled with drugs, and used to deliver drugs for cancer and other diseases. (T2) Liposomes were first described by British haematologist Alec D Bangham in 1961 (published 1964), at the Babraham Institute, in Cambridge. (T3) The liposome passes through the blood stream and reaches the tumor cell, it fuses with the cell membrane of the cell membrane and release drugs. It can carry both water based and fat based drugs.
1995 First Approved Nanomedicine
Doxil (Janssen Biotech), a liposomal formulation of doxorubicin, was the first nanomedicine approved in 1995. (T4) Doxil is a medicine that can be found in markets with the doctor's prescription, and it is used to cure ovary cancer that has gotten worse. It is an anthracycline—a type of cancer drug that has been used for many years. Anthracyclines cause cancer cells to die by damaging the DNA, or the genetic makeup, of the cancer cells. (T5)
TriCor approved in 2001
TriCor the brand name for fenofibrate. helps reduce cholesterol and triglycerides (fatty acids) in the blood. High levels of these types of fat in the blood are associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis (clogged arteries). (T6)You should not use TriCor if you are allergic to fenofibrate, or if you have liver disease, gallbladder disease, severe kidney disease, or if you are on dialysis.Do not take fenofibrate if you are breast-feeding a baby. (T7)
Gold Nanoshells that destroys cancer in 2003
The Gold Nanoshells were invented by Dr. Naomi Halas and Dr. Jennifer West at Rice University. Dr. Halas invented gold nanoshells that could capture different spectrum of light and cause them to heat up. Dr. West then suggested to tune the gold nanoshells to the Near-Infrared (INR) part of the light. So what they really wanted to do is to wrap the gold nanoshells around the tumor and use INR laser to heat the gold nanoshells up, hopefully burning the tumor cells away. INR is can pass through human body without causing any harm, by using this method, we can destroy tumors without damaging near-by tissues.
Emend approved by FDA in 2003
Emend is just a brand name for the drug aprepitant. It is an antiemetic chemical that stops the body from nausea and vomiting.
Emend is used in adults and children to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy. Aprepitant is also used (only in adults) to prevent nausea and vomiting that may be caused by surgery. It is given ahead of time and will not treat nausea or vomiting that you already have. (T8)
Abraxane approved in January 2005
Abraxane is only a trade name for Protein-bound paclitaxel, also known as nanoparticle albumin–bound paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel. (T9) It is an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug. It is used to treat breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and pancreas cancer. We should not receive Abraxane if we have a low amount of white blood cells (under 1500 cells/mm3) or if you have had a severe allergic to Abraxane. (T10)
Cornell Dots since 2010
Cornell Dots, also called as C-dots are mostly used by surgeons to track down tumor cells within the body as they could glow with fluorescence. They were invented a decade ago by Uli Wiesner. Now, the Cornell researchers have shown it's possible to turn these tiny spheres into a drug-delivery platform, as well. (T11) C dots are silica spheres less than 8 nanometers in diameter that enclose several dye molecules. (T12) These nanodots were so small that they could easily go through the body and pass out through urine. Cornell dots were used in patients back in October 2010, the 7-nanometer particles were labeled with radioactive iodine and injected into patients with metastatic melanoma. The iodine allowed the particles to be tracked with positron emission tomography (PET). (T13)
Nanosponges invented in 2013
Nanosponges are invented by Liangfang Zhang and Che-Ming "Jack" Hu at UC San Diego. Nanosponges are nanoparticles wrapped in the membranes of red blood cells to serve as an undercover and enter the body. Since toxins like to attack red blood cells, the toxins attack the nanosponges just as they would a red blood cell. But the center of this particle is made of a ball of lactic acid, an organic material commonly found in the body. It acts like a scaffold and helps prevent the membrane from falling apart, trapping the toxins. (T14)
Future Nanorobots
Nanorobots is the emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometre (10−9 meters). (T15) Future nanorobot can help us in different aspects, they can build machines, diagnose disease, carry drugs to cancer sites, operate surgeries and much more. Nanorobots might also produce copies of themselves to replace worn-out units, a process called self-replication. (T16)
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