NANOTECHNOLOGY:
Exploring the Use and the Future of
Nanomedicine and Nanobots
Prof. Leonardo N. Pasquito, DPA
Associate Professor
University of Makati, Philippines
FINAL EXAMINATION
•December 14 (MTh class)
•December 15 (TF Class)
•Coverage
•Human Genome Project (20 questions)
•Nanotechnology (20 questions)
•10 points (bonus)
Scope of this Presentation
• Exploring Medical Nanobots
• Medical nanobots can serve as miniature
surgeons which can be used to repair
damaged cells or entirely replace intracellular
structures.
• Can replicate themselves to correct a genetic
deficiency or replace DNA molecule to
eradicate disease.
• Exploring Military Nanobots
• Weaponized nanobots can be programmed to
perform a variety of surveillance and lethal
functions.
• If self replicating, autonomous and would kill
indiscriminately.
What is nanotechnology?
▪ Remember U-nano (small people)
▪ The prefix ‘nano’ is referred to a Greek prefix
meaning ‘dwarf’ or something very small and
depicts one thousand millionth of a meter (1 x
10−9 m).
▪ Nanoscience vs Nanotechnology
▪ Nanoscience is the study of structures and
molecules on the scales of nanometers ranging
between 1 and 100 nm.
▪ Nanotechnology refers to the branch of science
and engineering devoted to designing,
producing, and using structures, devices, and
systems by manipulating atoms and molecules
at nanoscale, i.e. having one or more
dimensions of the order of 100 nanometers
(100 millionth of a millimeter) or less.
Types of Nanodevices used as carriers of proteins,
peptides and other therapeutic molecules
Dendrimers are highly branched, synthetic molecules. Their precisely controlled
size, shape, and surface functionality make them valuable in drug delivery systems,
as catalysts, in nanotechnology for electronics, and as imaging agents in medical
diagnostics.
Micelles are spherical amphiphilic structures that have a hydrophobic core and a
hydrophilic shell. The hydrophilic shell makes the micelle water soluble that allows
for intravenous delivery while the hydrophobic core carries a payload of drug for
therapy.
Magnetic nanoparticles refer to tiny particles, often measuring less than 100
nanometers in diameter, made from magnetic materials like iron, cobalt, or nickel.
These nanoparticles possess unique magnetic properties due to their size, enabling
various applications in medicine, electronics, environmental remediation
Liposomes are spherical vesicles of a bilayer of phospholipids. These lipids are amphiphilic
in nature because they have hydrophilic and hydrophobic part. Liposomes are useful in drug
delivery system because they can encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs.
Nanopores are tiny holes or openings on the nanometer scale, used in DNA sequencing, where the
movement of DNA strands through these nanopores can be monitored and analyzed, allowing for the
determination of the DNA sequence. Nanopores can also be used in drug delivery because they allow
certain molecules or ions to pass through based on their size and properties.
A carbon nanotube is a carbon allotrope that resembles a tube of carbon
atoms. Carbon nanotubes are extremely robust and difficult to break, but they
are still light. Because of their exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal
properties, carbon nanotubes are one of the most investigated nanomaterials.
Quantum dots are tiny semiconductor particles usually between 2 to 10
nanometers in size, making them incredibly small. They have the ability to emit
light at different wavelengths based on their size. This property makes them
valuable in biological imaging to track cellular processes.
History of Nanotechnology
• The American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate Richard Feynman introduce
the concept of nanotechnology in 1959. During the annual meeting of the
American Physical Society, Feynman presented a lecture entitled “There’s
Plenty of Room at the Bottom” at the California Institute of Technology
(Caltech).
• In this lecture, Feynman made the hypothesis “Why can’t we write the entire
24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin?”, and
described a vision of using machines to construct smaller machines and down
to the molecular level. Because of these new ideas, he is considered the father
of modern nanotechnology.
• Norio Taniguchi, a Japanese scientist was the first to use and define the term
“nanotechnology” in 1974 as: “nanotechnology mainly consists of the
processing of separation, consolidation, and deformation of materials by one
atom or one molecule” .
Timeline showing the milestones in the history of nanoscience and
nanotechnology development.
The Nanobots
• In 1959, the theoretical physicist Richard
Feynman predicted that one day it would be
possible to build tiny machines of only a few
thousand atoms. Feynman is the winner of the
Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.
• Later in the 1987 novel, “Engines of Creation,”
Eric Drexler describes that nanobots are:
• capable of destroying cancer cells
• collecting free radicals
• or repairing damage to cell tissues.
• Genetics, biochemistry, physics, engineering,
and materials are the pillars for the creation
and development of nanotechnology.
What is a Nanobot?
▪ Nanobots are nanoscopic robots or what
is the same as a robot about the size of
an atom
▪ Nanorobots are so small that they
actually interact on the same level as
bacteria and viruses do, and so they are
capable of building with the very
particles of our bodies: atoms and
molecules.
▪ The ideal nanobot has not yet been fully
realized, but when this microscopic
robot makes its inevitable debut it will
be hailed as a lifesaver by the world of
medicine.
Composition of Nanobots
• Scientists report the exterior of a
nanorobot will likely be constructed of
carbon atoms in a diamondoid structure
because of its inert properties and
strength.
• Super-smooth surfaces will lessen the
likelihood of triggering the body's
immune
system,
allowing
the
nanorobots to go about their business
unimpeded.
• Glucose or natural body sugars and
oxygen might be a source for
propulsion, and the nanorobot will have
other biochemical or molecular parts
depending on its task.
Approaches of Developing Nanomaterials
• After Feynman had discovered this
new field of research catching the
interest of many scientists, two
approaches have been developed
describing the different possibilities
for the synthesis of nanostructures.
1. The “top-down” approach
This involves the breaking down of large
pieces of material to generate the required
nanostructures from them. This is from big
materials to nanoscale.
2. The “bottom-up” approach
This implies assembling single atoms and
molecules into larger nanostructures. This is
from individual atoms to nanoscale.
A comparison of sizes of nanomaterial
Uses of Nanotechnology
• Fight some disease.
Nanobots can travel inside the human
body to fight some diseases or repair
organs
• Detecting pollution and for cleaning
the environment (cleaning up oil
spill)
• Cure of diseases, and in particular,
cancer
• Nanobots for military espionage or
as a spy.
Uses of Nanotechnology
Exploring Nanomedicine
and Medical Nanobots
Nanotechnology In Medicine
• Detect cancer cells and release drugs on them.
• Researchers from the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) and the Federal
Polytechnic School of Zurich, would have created nanobots made of polymers
and magnetic nanowires, capable of being introduced into the human
bloodstream and remote control inside to detect cancer cells and release drugs
on them.
• Instead of performing procedures from outside the body, nanobots will be
miniaturized for introduction into the body through the vascular system or at the
end of catheters into various vessels and other cavities in the human body.
• On-site surgical Operation
• A surgical nanobot, programmed by a human surgeon, could act as an
autonomous on-site surgeon inside the human body. Various functions such as
searching for pathology, diagnosis, and removal or correction of the lesion by
nanomanipulation can be performed and coordinated by an on-board computer.
Uses of Nanotechnology
• Repair tissues
• The most important future role for
nanobots will be to carry out tricky
repairs that at present require major
surgery; for example, clearing plaque
from the walls of blood vessels, or
renewing calcified heart valves. The
body has wonderful repair mechanisms
of its own but for generally presently
unknown reasons certain actions appear
to be impossible.
• Nanomedicine could make use of these
nanorobots introduced into the body, to
repair or detect damages and infections.
• Drug delivery System
• They can be used very effectively for drug delivery. Normally, drugs work
through the entire body before they reach the disease-affected area. Using
nanotechnology, the drug can be targeted to a precise location which would
make the drug much more effective and reduce the chances of possible side
effects.
• Monitoring
• Nanobots can be used to monitor the sugar level in the blood. Special sensor
nanobots can be inserted into the blood under the skin where microchips,
coated with human molecules and designed to emit an electrical impulse
signal, monitor the sugar level in the blood.
Uses of Nanotech in Medicine
Theranostics refers to a
field in medicine focused
on
developing
and
combining
diagnostic
tests
with
specific
targeted therapies. The
goal is to personalize
treatment by identifying
suitable patients for
particular therapies while
monitoring the response
to treatment. Essentially,
it combines diagnostics
that help identify the
most effective treatment
with therapies tailored to
the individual's needs,
leading to more precise
and efficient healthcare.
Future of Nanotechnology in Medicine
• Using nanobots with camera will allow
doctors to discontinue the use of
endoscopy.
• Endoscopy involves inserting a thin,
flexible tube with a camera down the
throat to examine the esophagus,
stomach, and the beginning of the small
intestine. Doctors often perform this to
diagnose conditions like acid reflux,
ulcers, or even cancers. It is commonly
used if someone has persistent
heartburn, difficulty swallowing, or
unexplained weight loss.
Carbon nanotubes
Carbon Bucky Ball
Carbon Nanotube
Types and Structures of Carbon Nanotechnology (CNT)
Current Use of Carbon-Based Materials
Immunogenicity
is
defined as the ability
of cells or tissues to
provoke an immune
response
and
is
generally considered
to be an undesirable
physiological
response.
Nanoparticles as carriers of proteins,
peptides and other therapeutic molecules
Structure of Nanotubes
New Carbon Nanotube-Based Breast Cancer
Drug
Direct drug delivery with carbon
nanotube porins
Nanowerk
How Carbon Nano Tube (CNT) deliver drugs
How Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) get Inside the Cell
Nanobots with cameras
Nanobots equipped with cameras have
shown remarkable potential in various
fields, particularly in medicine and
technology. These tiny devices, often
smaller than a grain of sand,
incorporate miniature cameras that
enable visualization at a microscopic
level.
In medicine, nanobots with cameras
hold
promise
for
non-invasive
diagnostic procedures and targeted
drug delivery. They can navigate
through the body to identify health
issues and transmit images or data to
external devices for analysis.
These nanobots are being explored for
applications such as surveillance,
inspection of small spaces, and
monitoring environments that are
difficult for conventional cameras to
access.
Cancer-killing nanobots
The
nanorobots
improve
treatment
efficiency
by
performing
advanced
biomedical therapies using
minimally invasive operations.
Chemotherapy's harsh side
effects and untargeted drug
distribution necessitate new
cancer treatment trials. The
nanorobots
are
currently
designed to recognize 12
different types of cancer cells.
Nanobots for checking blood chemistry
Nanobots are being researched for
various medical applications, including
monitoring blood chemistry. These tiny
devices, smaller than a cell, could
potentially
travel
through
the
bloodstream, detecting and analyzing
specific biomarkers or substances. They
might offer real-time data on blood sugar
levels, oxygenation, or even detect
markers for diseases like cancer.
Types of NanoBots
• The two basic types of nanobots are assemblers and self-replicators
1. Assemblers
• Assemblers are nanobots in the form of single cells that may be able to
decipher molecules or atoms of different types and controlled by specific
programs. By their use, they are also familiar as molecular assemblers. As a
reference to a structure inside each cell of every living being called ribosome
that is the natural “assemblers.”
2. Self-replicants
• Self-replicants are mostly nanobots capable of duplicating (self-replicating)
themselves at high speed. This type of duplication helps to build large-scale
applications or deploy nanobots for large-scale tasks.
• In the military investigation, they can use self-replicators as an armor of the
military body. It is capable of self-repair in case of damage.
Sharief, K. (2020).What is Nanobots? – Definition, Uses, Types, History And More. https://www.computertechreviews.com/definition/nanobots/
Types of nanobots
3. Nanoswimmers
• ETH Zurich and Technion researchers have developed an elastic
“nanoswimmer” polypyrrole (Ppy) nanowire about 15
micrometers (millionths of a meter) long and 200 nanometers
thick.
• They can move through biological fluid environments at almost 15
micrometers per second.
• The nanoswimmers could be functionalized to deliver drugs and
magnetically controlled to swim through the bloodstream to target
cancer cells, for example.
Source: Different Types of Nanorobots and Applications – Advanced Materials 2019
https://advancedmaterials2018.wordpress.com/2018/10/08/different-types-of-nanorobotsand-applications-advanced-materials-2019/
4. Nanomachines
• 3D-motion nanomachines from DNA
• Mechanical engineers at Ohio State
University
have
designed
and
constructed
complex
nanoscale
mechanical parts using ‘DNA origami’
— proving that the same basic design
principles that apply to typical full-size
machine parts can now also be applied
to DNA — and can produce complex,
controllable components for future
nanorobots.
Programmable Nanobots
Their
programmability
allows for precise control
over their actions, often
through external stimuli
like light, magnetic fields,
or
specific
chemical
signals.
Researchers
envision applications in
medicine,
such
as
delivering medication to
specific cells or tissues, as
well as in engineering for
tasks
like
assembling
minuscule components.
NANOBOTS THAT CAN REPAIR DNA
Nanotechnology
has
made
remarkable strides in the realm of
DNA repair. Nanobots are being
developed to precisely target
damaged DNA strands and initiate
repair processes within cells.
These nanobots are often designed
to carry specific payloads, such as
enzymes or molecules, that aid in
repairing damaged DNA. For
instance, they might carry out tasks
like excising mutated sections of
DNA and replacing them with
correct sequences or facilitating
repair mechanisms within the cell.
Nanotechnology Helps Revolutionize
Medicine
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
• Nanotechnology
researchers are developing
robots about the size of the
cells in our bodies that have
a propulsion system,
sensors, manipulators, and
even an onboard computer
that can perform tasks on
nanoscale objects.
Boysen, E.; Muir N.; Dudley, D.; Peterson, D. (n.d.). Types of Nanorobots being Developed for Use in Healthcare.
https://www.dummies.com/education/science/nanotechnology/types-of-nanorobots-being-developed-for-usein-healthcare
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
1. Microbivore nanobots
• These nanorobots would function similarly to the
white blood cells in our bodies, but they are
designed to be much faster at destroying bacteria.
• This type of nanorobots should be able to
eliminate bacterial infections in a patient within
minutes, as opposed to the weeks required for
antibiotics to take effect.
• Microbivore nanorobots are designed so that
antibodies attach to the particular bacteria the
robot is seeking.
• After bacteria attaches to an antibody, an arm
grabs the bacteria and moves it to the inside of
the nanorobot, where it’s destroyed. Bacteria is
then discharged into the bloodstream as harmless
fragments.
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
2. Respirocyte nanobots
• These nanorobots would function in a
similar way to the red blood cells in
our bodies; however, they are
designed to carry much more oxygen
than natural red blood cells.
• This design could be very useful for
patients suffering from anemia.
• These respirocyte nanorobots would
contain a tank in which oxygen is held
at a high pressure, sensors to
determine the concentration of
oxygen in the bloodstream, and a
valve that releases oxygen when
sensors determine that additional
oxygen is needed.
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
3. Clottocyte nanorobots
• These robots function similarly to the
platelets in our blood.
• Platelets stick together in a wound to form a
clot, stopping blood flow. Depending on the
size of the wound, significant blood loss can
occur before a clot is formed.
• A system of clottocyte nanorobots would
store fibers until they encounter a wound.
At that point, the nanorobots would
disperse their fibers, which would then
come together to create a clot in a fraction
of the time that platelets do.
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
4. Cellular repair nanobots
• These little guys could be built
to perform surgical procedures
more precisely.
• By working at the cellular
level, such nanorobots could
prevent much of the damage
caused by the comparatively
clumsy scalpel.
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
5. Ant-like nanoengine
• Otherwise
known
as
actuating
nanotransducers (ANT)
• University of Cambridge researchers have
developed a tiny engine capable of a force per
unit-weight nearly 100 times higher than any
motor or muscle.
• The new nano-engines could lead to
nanorobots small enough to enter living cells to
fight disease, the researchers say.
• Professor Jeremy Baumberg from the
Cavendish Laboratory, who led the research,
has
named
the
devices
‘actuating
nanotransducers’ (ANTs).
• ‘Like real ants, they produce large forces for
their weight.
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
6. Sperm-inspired nanobots
• “A team of researchers at the University of
Twente (Netherlands) and German
University in Cairo (Egypt) has developed
sperm-inspired microrobots, which can be
controlled by oscillating weak magnetic
fields.”
• They will be used in complex micromanipulation and targeted therapy tasks.
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
7. Bacteria-powered robots
• Drexel University engineers have
developed a method for using
electric
fields
to
help
microscopic bacteria-powered
robots detect obstacles in their
environment
and
navigate
around them.
• Uses
include
delivering
medication, manipulating stem
cells to direct their growth, or
building a microstructure, for
example.
Types of Nanobots being Developed
for Use in Healthcare
8. Nanorockets
• Several groups of researchers have
recently constructed a high-speed,
remote-controlled nanoscale version
of a rocket by combining nanoparticles
with biological molecule
• The researchers hope to develop the
rocket so it can be used in any
environment; for example, to deliver
drugs to a target area of the body.
Nano Designs
Parts of Nanobot
Parts of Nanobot
Nanobot Insects
Spider Nanobot
Nanobots at Work
Future of Nanobots
• Nanomedicine
• Imagine that you go to the doctor for treatment
for persistent fever. Instead of giving you a pill or
an injection, the doctor sends you to a specialized
medical team that implants a small robot into your
bloodstream. The robot detects the cause of the
fever. It travels to the appropriate system and
provides a dose of the medication directly to the
infected area.
• The biggest problem right now is to provide
the nanobots with autonomous movement
and a navigation system.
Future of Nanobots
• Biohybrid nanobots could eventually remove blood clots from the
brain without surgery, deliver drugs directly to organs, or assist with
fertilization.
• Nanomedicine is particularly focused on localized therapies to
combat cancer, and plenty of progress has been made.
• Nanotechnology could also enable objects to harvest energy from
their environment. New nano-materials and concepts are currently
being developed that show potential for producing energy from
movement, light, variations in temperature, glucose and other
sources with high conversion efficiency.
Future of Nanobots
• Scientists hope to use nanobots in
medicine to
• kill cancer cells
• deliver drugs to target tissues
• improve vaccines.
• Nanobots can be used in research for
• DNA probes
• cell imaging materials
• cell-specific delivery vehicles
• It is also predicted that nanorobots
could slow or even reverse the aging
process, and life expectancy of human
beings could increase significantly.
• Nanotechnology might
help us make electrical
lines, solar cells, and
biofuels more efficient,
and
make
nuclear
reactors safer.
• Nanobots
may
give
physicians the most
potent tools imaginable
to
conquer
human
disease, ill-health, and
aging.
Nanotechnology in the Philippines
Potential Military Applications
1. To improve medical and casualty care for soldiers
2. To produce lightweight, strong and multi-functional materials for
use in clothing, both for protection
3. To provide enhanced connectivity.
4. nanometer bomb which in the dimension of macro-nanometer and
is designed on the base of nanometer carbon tube singular light
quantum performance and near-infrared laser radiation,
Issues and Concerns of Nanobots
• Several countries are developing nanoweapons that could
unleash attacks using mini-nuclear bombs and insect-like
lethal robots.
• The advancement of nanotechnology in the coming years
will make it a bigger threat to humanity than conventional
nuclear weapons, according to an expert. The U.S., Russia
and China are believed to be investing billions on
nanoweapons research.
• “Nanobots are the real concern about wiping out humanity
because they can be weapons of mass destruction”, said
Louis Del Monte, a Minnesota-based physicist and futurist.
Issues and Concerns of Nanobots
• Nanodrone in the future could fly into a room and drop a poison
onto something, such as food, to target a particular individual.
• Frightening details about military nanotechnologies were
outlined in a 2010 report from the Pentagon’s Defense Threat
Reduction Agency, including how “transgenic insects could be
developed to produce and deliver protein-based biological
warfare agents, and be used offensively against targets in a
foreign country.”
• It also forecast “microexplosives” along with “nanobots serving
as bioweapons delivery systems or as micro-weapons
themselves, and inhalable micro-particles to cripple personnel.”
Issues and Concerns of Nanobots
• In the case of nanoscale robots, they can be the size of a mosquito or
smaller and programmed to use toxins to kill or immobilize people;
what’s more, these autonomous bots ultimately could become selfreplicating.
• Last month’s targeted assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother
of North Korea’s ruler, was a stark reminder that toxins are available
from a variety of sources and can be unleashed in public locations. It
is also been alleged by Russia’s Pravda paper that nanoweapons were
used by the U.S. against foreign leaders.
• A Cambridge University conference on global catastrophic risk found a
5 percent risk of nanotech weapons causing human extinction before
the year 2100.
Issues and Concerns of Nanobots
• Nanotechnology opens up the possibility to
manufacture mini-nuke components so small
that they are difficult to screen and detect.
Furthermore, the weapon (capable of an
explosion equivalent to about 100 tons of
TNT) could be compact enough to fit into a
pocket or purse and weigh about 5 pounds
and destroy large buildings or be combined
to do greater damage to an area.
• There could be potentially millions of these
deadly nanobots on the loose killing people
indiscriminately.
Issues and Concerns of Nanobots
• Potential disadvantages include economic disruption and possible
threats to security, privacy, health and the environment.
• Potential dangers to humans and the environment.
• Loss of manufacturing and agricultural jobs.
• Economic market crashes related to a potential lower value of oil due to more
efficient energy sources and gold or diamonds, materials that can be
reproduced with molecular manipulation.
• Environment will be increasingly prone to suffer pollution from
nanomaterials in consumer products such as sunscreens, detergents,
and cosmetics, as well from accidental releases during production,
transportation, and disposal operations.
• Nanoparticles are likely to be dangerous for three main reasons:
• Nanoparticles may damage the lungs.
• Nanoparticles can get into the body through the skin, lungs and digestive
system. This may help create 'free radicals' which can cause cell damage and
damage to the DNA.
• Tissue studies indicate that nanoparticles could damage DNA
and lead to cancer, according to research presented at the 2007
Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
• A number of manufactured nanomaterials have however been
associated with health hazards. Research by the scientific committee
on emerging and newly identified risks (SCENIHR) has indicated that
some nanomaterials can be taken up in the lungs causing
inflammation and tissue damage, fibrosis and tumour generation.
• Hazards and risks of nanoparticles
include increased production of
ROS, DNA damage, genotoxic
effects, damages to organs and
tissues in humans, effects on
growth and yield of crop plants and
negative impacts on beneficial
bacteria in the environment.
• Self-replicating "nanobots" could
escape from laboratories and
reduce all life on earth.
Bio-antifouling refers to methods or substances
that prevent the accumulation of unwanted
biological organisms.
Exploring Military
Nanotechnology
Military Nanobots
The main aims of military
research into nanotechnology
are to improve medical and
casualty care for soldiers, and to
produce lightweight, strong and
multi-functional materials for
use in clothing, both for
protection and to provide
enhanced connectivity.
• The U.S. Military is making plans to inject people’s brains with
artificially intelligent nanobots that will give them awesome,
Wolverine-like powers to heal themselves.
• DARPA, the American government’s controversial, ultra high-tech
military gadget and research lab, is developing wireless, “ultraminiaturized” and injectable electronic devices that could
eventually get on people’s nerves.
• In the longer term, it seems likely that most military technology will
be dependent on nanomaterials. Some of the more speculative
applications of nanotechnology in this area include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nano-machines to mimic human muscle action in an exoskeleton
Stealth coatings
Self-healing (self-repair) material
Smart skin materials
Adaptive camouflage
Adaptive structures
References
• Mehta, M.; Subramani, K. (2012). Nanodiagnostics in Microbiology and Dentistry.
Science Direct. From
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/nanobots
• Shandrow, K. (2014, October 21). The U.S. Military Wants to Inject People's Brains
With Painkilling Nanobots That Could Replace Medicine.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238677
• Daniels, J. (2017, Mar 17). Mini-nukes and mosquito-like robot weapons being
primed for future warfare. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/17/mini-nukes-andinspect-bot-weapons-being-primed-for-future-warfare.html