In-depth interpretation of the research status of nanomedicine

Nowadays, nanotechnology has become one of the key technologies in the 21st century, which has promoted the rapid development of various research fields. Of course, the influence of nanotechnology on medical research is also obvious. For example, in biomedical research, nano-robots can act as “micro-doctors”, solving problems that doctors can't solve with traditional techniques. At the same time, nanotechnology plays a key role in cancer treatment, vaccine development, HIV treatment, and the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.

Nanotherapy and cancer treatment

Recently, researchers from institutions such as the Mayo Clinic in the United States have developed a new type of anti-cancer nanoparticle (doi:10.1038/nnano.2017.69) that allows breast tumors to shrink while also preventing disease again. relapse. Researcher Dr. Betty YS Kim pointed out in the article that in this proof-of-concept study, we were surprised to find that these mice treated with this nanoparticle showed persistent anticancer effects. Unlike existing cancer immunotherapy that targets only part of the immune system, our specially designed nanoparticles actively mobilize the entire immune system to kill cancer cells, promoting the body to produce its own memory system, thereby minimizing tumor recurrence. Such nanomedicines can also target different types of cancer and other human diseases, including neurovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. ”

In recent years, with the introduction of the concept of precision medicine, scientists have different opinions on the development of new cancer therapies. Many scientists believe that personalized therapy may be the key to the future of human beings to completely defeat cancer. However, researchers from the University of Michigan have tried to develop a new nano-vaccine. The researchers first identified the relevant mutant genes on the patient's own tumor cells by means of gene sequencing, and then used synthetic high-density lipoproteins. Vectors that deliver these patient-specific antigens into the body for "training" the patient's immune system to produce tumor-killing T cells to treat cancer.

With the deepening of research in nanomedicine, some researchers have received unexpected research and found that in 2016, published in the international journal Nature Nanotechnology, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine discovered that the use of nanoparticles The immune cells can be activated to kill the tumor; the researchers discovered the phenomenon by experimenting with mice, when researchers wanted to test whether a nanoparticle in an iron supplement could be used as a "Trojan horse" for chemotherapy. The drug sneaked into the tumor of the mouse. They have unexpectedly discovered that nanoparticles in iron supplements can cause macrophages (TAM, tumor-associated) to kill tumor cells. Researcher Daldrup-Link believes that in the future, this nanoparticle may help cancer patients who cannot completely remove tumors in the body to recover from disease treatment.

Previously, researchers from the University of Chicago developed a new combination of immunotherapy based on nanoparticles to help treat cancer; researchers from Milan passed the study (doi:10.1007/s12274-016-1035-8) Small nano gold particles are adsorbed to the front-end cytokine therapy, which they believe may better enhance the effects of the therapy, says researcher Helen Rippon, using gold in nanomedicine to treat cancer is a new type and very exciting Research area. In June 2016, researchers reported (doi: 10.2217/nnm.15.218) using nanocarriers to cross the blood-brain barrier to target brain cancer. Researchers have used nanocarriers to transport chemicals to the brain. The purpose of mass killing of brain tumor cells; although the technology is currently only validated at the mouse level, it can lead to new treatments for brain cancer if it can be applied to the human body.

In recent years, oncologists and scientists have been hoping for breakthrough changes brought about by nanotechnology. Previous researchers have tried to use nanobubbles to “kill” the remaining cancer cells in the body, and Rice University and other researchers in Houston, Texas, have taken the lead in exploring this method for the past decade. . They believe that this cluster of gold atoms can be used as a powerful weapon against cancer. Normally, almost all of the blood vessels in the solid tumor have leaks. Then, when the gold atomic nanoclusters are injected into the blood, they tend to accumulate around the tumor cells through the tumor blood vessels. At the same time, these cancer cells will engulf these nanoparticles. Once inside the cell, these nanoparticles, like the "Trojan horse", use "infrared lasers that can penetrate several centimeters of thick tissue to illuminate "hit" these gold atoms, which instantly generate huge amounts of heat and vaporize the surrounding tissue fluid. , produce some nano-bubbles to tear or "explode" cancer cells.

It can be seen that nanotechnology has played a huge role in the field of cancer treatment in recent years. Not only that, nanotechnology is also shining in vaccine development and other research fields.

Nanotechnology and vaccine

Last year, the University of Queensland researcher Mark Kendall developed a new nanopatch that provides a new way of transporting vaccines, which is undoubtedly the ancient method of vaccination for 160 years. A revolutionary innovation. Researchers believe that this nano-patch can be adapted for vaccine delivery to target immune cells, thus increasing the success rate of vaccination, such as influenza vaccine, polio, and cholera vaccine.

The development of nano-slices has revolutionized the transportation strategy of vaccines. This new technology may also significantly reduce the cost of the vaccine development process and make vaccines available worldwide. And that's not just good news. Researcher Mark Kendall and his colleagues are currently using nano-patch for human clinical trials in Brisbane, and WHO is also planning to launch a polio vaccine trial in Cuba in 2017.

Previously, a research report published in the international magazine Nanoscale (doi:10.1039/C5NR08821F), researchers from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering in the United States developed a new nano-vaccine that can help develop treatments. A new approach to cancer immunotherapy that reduces the side effects of therapies; this nano vaccine can effectively transport specific DNA sequences into immune cells. This sequence derived from bacterial DNA can be used to induce immune responses in the body while the vaccine It also protects the DNA in the body from being destroyed. Not only that, as early as 2014, the Nanoengineer of the University of California, San Diego developed a “nano-sponge vaccine” that was shown in mice to absorb a large amount of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Porous toxins – both in the blood vessels and in the skin – prevent the deterioration of the effects of alpha-hemolysin released by MRSA and serve as a safe and effective anti-toxin vaccine.

Nanotechnology and HIV

In addition to its use in cancer treatment and vaccine development, scientists have also made great progress in the research of HIV using nanotechnology. Scientists from China have developed virus-like fullerenol nanoparticles as HIV vaccines. The adjuvant, which has important practical significance for the development of AIDS vaccine. Nanomedicine is a new field of application of nanotechnology for disease prevention and treatment. This progressive discipline is expected to bring about tremendous changes in medical science research, and many clinical treatments and diagnostic methods have been affected by nanomedicine technology. In October 2016, researchers from the University of Liverpool in the UK conducted a new study that hopes to improve drug treatment for HIV patients through nanotechnology. So far, there are still no oral nanotherapeutics available for HIV treatment in the clinic. With the newly developed rapid small-scale nanomedicine screening method, researchers have found a new type of water-soluble nanotherapy.

At the 2009 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunity Infections in Seattle, USA, researchers at the University of Liverpool in the UK announced their new research on Zui, which through research used nanotechnology to effectively improve the drugs used to treat HIV-infected people. Therapy, and the researchers also achieved good results in clinical trials. Not only that, researchers from Canada have also designed and synthesized a nanoscale DNA machine whose custom-modified features support the identification of specific target antibodies, a result that will be slow, cumbersome and expensive. The antibody detection process revolutionizes the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, HIV and other autoimmune diseases, reducing disease treatment delays and reducing treatment costs.

Nanotechnology and disease diagnosis

Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death because it is usually undetectable at an early stage. Recently, scientists from Arizona State University have developed a fast and inexpensive nanoparticle-based diagnostic method for pancreatic cancer (doi:10.1038/s41551-016-0021) based on the surface of vesicles released by pancreatic cancer. Developed as a biomarker. Recently, published in a research report on international communication (doi:10.1038/ncomms14378), researchers from the University of Alberta are leading a competition to improve patient disease diagnosis and drug delivery using nanomachines. The researchers described how to synthesize DNA motors in living cells, a process that can only be done in vitro, and in this study, the researchers showed how to use DNA motors to perform specific biological functions in living cells; Through the DNase and its substrate, a nanodevice is created that has the required fuel, DNA orbitals, and molecular switches. This device is used to detect a specific microRNA in breast cancer cells. When it binds to the target molecule, the DNA motor is turned on to produce fluorescence. Researchers can determine which cells are cancer cells by detecting fluorescence intensity, a technology that has great potential for early diagnosis of disease.

Nanotechnology and other diseases

Nanotechnology plays a huge role in the research of these diseases, and it can also help researchers to help the development of other diseases or therapies. For example, scientists from the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland have developed remotely controlled nano-robots for the treatment of many diseases (doi:10.1038/ncomms12263); and researchers from the German Environmental Health Research Center have developed a new type of Nanoparticle carrier, which can selectively release drug molecules at tumor sites in the lungs of humans and mice. This novel nanocarrier can increase the efficiency of lung cancer drugs by 25 times.

Not only that, in 2016, researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in China developed a new type of nanobiosensor for rapid detection of influenza and other viruses, which can shorten the test time from 1-3 days to the present. 2-3 hours, more than 10 times faster than traditional clinical methods, and only costs HK$20 per sample, which is 80% lower than traditional testing costs; therefore, this new technology can be widely used. To detect different kinds of viruses, it provides a new idea for the development of low-cost, fast and ultra-sensitive virus detection technology (doi:10.1021/acsnano.5b05622).

In the future, with the continuous application and in-depth research of nanotechnology, scientists believe that new nanotechnology will continue to be born, and scientists will make unremitting efforts to develop more new tools or technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases based on nanotechnology. Thereby more benefiting human health.

In recent years, nanotechnology has become one of the hot areas of the medical and health industry. At the “China Optics Valley” International Bio-Health Industry Expo to be held on June 30, 2017, the organizers specially set up the “China Nano-Pharmaceutical Industry Summit Forum”. Organized by the National Engineering Research Center of Nano-drugs, the national nano-medical technology industry is invited to participate in the event.

In addition to the Nano Pharmaceutical Industry Summit Forum, the other more than 10 other exciting forums planned by the Expo will include the Asian Biotechnology Summit Forum, the Collaborative Innovation Model Forum for Medical Research and Research Enterprises, the Gene Industry Development Summit Forum, the International Health Management and Smart Healthcare Industry. Development Summit Forum, Biopharmaceutical R&D New Technology and Preclinical Research Summit Forum, 6th China International Immunotherapy Innovation Forum, 3rd China Advanced In Vitro Diagnostic Technology and Application Forum, 2nd China Optics Valley Bio-Health Industry Investment and Financing Forum The 2017 Medical Big Data and Medical Artificial Intelligence Summit Forum, the *Guanggu Agricultural Biotechnology Innovation Forum, etc., gathered more than 200 industry leaders to bring a wonderful speech.