Introduction
Nanotechnology also helps doctors find disease earlier and build better materials for the body. Nanoparticles are small enough to interact with single molecules and cells, so they can detect very small amounts of a disease marker.
Early in vitro diagnostics
- Gold nanoparticles: they change color when they gather together. Rapid lateral flow tests, such as pregnancy tests, use this visible signal.
- Quantum dots: semiconductor nanocrystals that glow brightly in colors set by their size. They can mark several targets at once.
- Magnetic nanoparticles: they can bind a target and pull it out of a blood sample, concentrating it for testing.
Nanosensors
A nanosensor has a recognition element, such as an antibody or DNA strand, and a transducer that turns binding into a measurable signal.
Imaging diagnostics
When one particle both shows a disease and treats it, the approach is called theranostics.
Tissue engineering
- Nanofiber scaffolds: made by electrospinning, they imitate the extracellular matrix and guide cell growth.
- Surface nanotopography: nanoscale surface patterns on implants can improve how cells attach.
- Bone regeneration: nano-hydroxyapatite resembles the mineral of bone and helps new bone form.