Name: Michael Maylahn
Email: Maylahn.michael@gmail.com
Title: Does Cancer Stand a Chance; The Future of Medicine,
Nanomedicine
Abstract: Nanotechnology holds a prominent place in the current era of
continual technological advancements. Published in Illumin in 2005,
“Applying Nanotechnology to the Battle Against Cancer” delves into
nanomedicine and the endangering future it holds for cancer cells. The
National Cancer Institute has spent the last eight years piecing
together the missing parts to “cure” cancer through integration of
medicine and nanotechnology. The hope of finding such solutions
becomes increasingly plausible as new connections arise. Progress
continues to produce an abundance of ideas and data suggesting the
legitimacy of nanotechnology and applicability to cancer prevention,
diagnosis and treatment. Through the development of
nanotechnologies and the integration with medical issues, finally the
possibility exists to face biological obstacles at the same scale.
Creating nano-sized chips and machines that mechanically operate
with such precision is not easily achieved, but the motivation is there
to continually research and develop these technologies. The outcomes
of recent findings allow for a better understanding at the nano-level,
creating desired changes using these newly crafted nanotechnologies
in medicine.
Bio: Michael Maylahn is a University of Southern California BiomedicalElectrical Engineering student, driven by the future’s potential of
demystifying medical mysteries through the integration of modern
technology and medicine.
Introduction
[Fig. 1: Drug-carrying nanoparticles designed by MIT and Brigham and
Women’s Hospital researchers are decorated with tags that bind to
molecules found on the surface of tumor cells]
Take a look down into one of the ridges on your fingertip. Shrink
yourself down eighty thousands times smaller than the width between
two of those ridges. Congratulations, you have left the macro world
and set foot into a Grand Canyon sized crater of the nano-world.
Modern science and technology has ventured into this same nanoworld, engineering nanoparticles small enough to easily penetrate our
cells and explore even the smallest of our blood vessels.
Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the nano
level as applied to a multitude of fields. Nanotechnology for developing
nano-technological devices has reformed our society as it has been
utilized within a wide array of uses from personal electronics to
corporate application. One particular area of focus bearing great
potential for advancement is within the field of nanomedicine. Such
integration of modern technology and medicine continues to produce
exponential growth in prevention, diagnosis and treatment
sophistication spanning the spectrum of the medical field.
“Applying Nanotechnology to the Battle Against Cancer,” published in
Illumin in 2005 addresses, one of the most funded and sought after
areas of nanomedicine -- application in tackling the epidemic of
cancer. The article was published one year after the inception of “The
National Cancer Institute Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer” [1]. It
contains a very well constructed introduction to the issues surrounding
cancer and proposes the fundamental ideas of possible solutions for
clinical cancer applications of nanotechnology. Eight years later, the
first phase of the Alliance’s program is complete and the second phase
is half way through [2]. An immense amount of new information has
become available, changing the seemingly abstract hope of curing
cancer through such means into a concrete application that has
entered a process of development for the fine tuning of the technology
tp decrease the severity of cancer, catapulting us beyond the primitive
techniques currently in practice.
The Technological World at the Nano Scale:
Nanotechnology is the catalyst of our current technological era. It has
become integrated into most of the products we use every day. It
exists within places such as our computer screens, cell phones, and
television screens. As continual advancements are made, nanoparticles
have become a normalized part of consumer products. The silvernanoparticles in our microbial socks and stain & wrinkle-free clothing
are a product of nanotechnology. The dent and scratch resistant
bumpers of the cars on the road, the sunscreen that transparently
absorbs into our skin to protect us, the scratch-resistant glass coatings
of modern electronics are all ways in which our lives have been
enhanced through the discovery and development of nanotechnology
[3].
[Fig. 2: A rendered image of a Nanoscale silicon tip chiseling out the
smallest relief map of the world from a substrate of organic molecular
glass. Shown middle foreground is the Mediterranean Sea and
Europe.]
Engineering systems at the molecular level applied to modern
technology has allowed for a plethora of advancements due to the
mere size of these nanosystems. Since they are incredibly small, a
densely packed network of them can be assembled into a very small
space. This provides the capabilities for high amounts of data storage
and high processing speeds that run our electronics as information is
passed between the different components [4]. A world without these
capabilities would not allow for our society to be connected through
the World Wide Web or a personal computer to assist us in our daily
tasks and fulfill our entertainment desires.
Nanotechnology Applied to Medicine:
Nanotechnology is the engineering of systems on a nano-scale;when
nanotechnology meets biology, its application to medicine is known as
nanomedicine. In the 1970’s, the scientific understanding of biological
systems explained the functions of biomolecules on a cellular level.
This was the point in which biology merged with engineering
principles. Through the understanding of how cell’s conducted their
designed function through different enzymes, it became possible to
engineer protein sequences and synthesize DNA using these enzymes
and processes [5]. This is the fundamental backbone of nanomedicine.
Through the observation and complex understanding of biological
systems, re-creation of such a system is possible. This sits under the
umbrella term of “nanomedicine” because it is resolving medical
challenges occurring at the cellular level, which is measured on the
nano-scale.
As nanotechnologies were developed for use in electronics, more
advanced technologies have come into existence for the integration of
electrical and mechanical nano-structures with biological systems. The
hope is to solve problems and further our understanding of the
targeted objective of advancing medical capabilities. Nanomedicine is
crucial in the advancement of medicine because it is the missing link
between our understanding of what is going wrong and how it needs to
work in order for everything to operate correctly. Through the use of
nanotechnology, the limitations of current medicine become an
obstacle that can be overcome because of the technological flexibility
on the nanoscale to engineer what is needed to solve the problem.
[Fig. 3: Artist’s rendition of a nanorobot engaging with a red blood
cell.]
The most challenging obstacle in most medical limitations is that
everything inside of the body is happening on an extremely small
scale, a nano-scale. Through the development of nanotechnologies and
the integration with medical issues, finally the possibility exists to face
biological obstacles at the same scale [6]. Creating nano-sized chips
and machines that mechanically operate with such precision is not
easily achieved, but the motivation is there to continually research and
developed these technologies because of the potential nanotechnology
holds for solving medical mysteries.
NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer:
The National Cancer Institute Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer is
a program created to combine resources from across the country in
hopes of advancing nano-technological capabilities as applied to
diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer [7]. The program
created a collaborative network of Cancer Nanotechnology Centers
across the country working together to tackle the program’s objective.
Since all of the center’s are tied together sharing all of their work, it
has created a “super-center” working in synchrony on a common goal.
The first part of the program ran as “phase one” from 2005-2010 with
the efforts to apply existing nanotechnology in hopes of making an
impact on cancer. The results were more successful than anticipated
as it produced “more than 1,300 publications (with an average impact
factor of 7.4), more than 250 patent disclosures and applications,
dozens of spin-off companies, and several clinical trials.” [8] As phase
two (2010-2015) began, the objectives became focused on developing
the needed technologies in ways that it was lacking with the focus on
clinical development. The ideal end result for phase two is to have at
least one product ready to enter clinical studies with high potential of
addressing the needs of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment
[9].
[Fig. 4: Map of the second phase of the Alliance for Nanotechnology in
Cancer-funded centers and groups.]
Updates in “Applying Nanotechnology to the Battle Against
Cancer”:
The ultimate application of nanotechnology is most likely situational,
utilizing multiple ways to adhere to individual needs. The three
components considered in the approach of cancer are in regards to
prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The preventative side has not
integrated nano-technological abilities for decreasing potential of
cancer cell existence. However, possibilities exist to cause apoptosis
(i.e., death of the cancer cell) or push the cancer cell into a
permanently dormant state. This means that nanotechnology
intervenes in the cancer cell’s replicating before they take over.
Diagnosis serves the role in finding developing tumors and allows for
the needed information to determine a proper treatment depending on
location of the cancer cells and the severity (when caught earlier on,
naturally it becomes easier to treat). This is where nanotechnology
branches off into many different possible solutions.
As the article, “Applying Nanotechnology to the Battle Against Cancer”
presents as possible technologies, Nanoscale Cantilevers, Dendrimers
and Gold-Coated Nanoshells were the first considerations. Cantilevers
serve as a method for detection and provide potential, most likely
combined with other methods for optimal results. Dendrimers serve as
a good option for a treatment if the cancer has been caught earlier on
because it stops the reproduction of the cancer cells. Gold-coated
nanoshells serve as one of the benchmarks of initial nanomedicine
breakthroughs because they use gold’s heat conductance properties
for treatment rather than the traditional chemical methods [10]. The
properties of gold make it one of the best choices of materials for use
in nanomedicine; however, the best method of usage is still being
tested.
With the advancements that have occurred in the last eight years
however, many new possibilities are being considered. The usage of
quantum dots as a method of detection and identification of cancer
cells seems to serve as a highly probable solution to part of a more
robust cancer treatment.
Quantum dots appear to be the best option to serve as a biomarker,
the way doctors can screen if there are cancer cells as part of
diagnosis. A current common way to detect if cancer cells exist is
through screening blood and other bodily fluids for biomarkers.
Proteins, DNA and mRNA sequences have all been used as methods of
biomarkers. These however aren’t reliable when the cancer cells are in
low concentration, which leads to detection not occurring as early in
the cancer development. Quantum dots however have been found to
remain easily identifiable in extremely diluted concentrations and
operate to detect hundreds of thousands of molecules simultaneously
[11]. The reliability and findings of quantum dots are thus putting
them in the forefront of detection possibilities. Nanowires, a
semiconductor-based nanomaterial, is another potential method for
detection of biomarkers in the blood [12]. These could potentially be
used in combination with quantum dots due to their efficiency in
detecting biomarkers; the low needed concentration needed of them to
find them, the real-time measurement and the easy integration of
nanowires into a larger system because of the simplicity of its
mechanical design.
Once cancerous cells have been detected and a diagnosis has
occurred, a more complex approach than initially speculated appears
to potential be the solution to defeating cancer. The combination of a
method that continues to locate cancerous cells and then treat the
detected cell upon discovery is the most efficient and simple
conclusion to this question of what is the best treatment. Once a
diagnosis has determined cancerous cells exist, a nanocarrier enters
the body enclosed with the needed drug(s) for treatment. A
nanocarrier identifies and latches on to cancerous cell receptors due to
its outer surface proteins. Upon the entry into the cell, it releases the
enclosed treatment thus resulting in the elimination of only the
cancerous cells with no harm to any neighboring healthy cells or other
damage to the body due to chemicals, radiation, acoustics or any other
elimination procedure. A promising possibility the nanocarriers could
hold would be a combination of a RNA strand and chemotherapy
drugs. The RNA is used to interfere with the cancerous cell’s genetic
material causing the cell to stop reproducing and the chemotherapy
drug furthers the process of elimination [13]. This method of
interference is a benchmark achievement for furthering cancer
treatments because it only attacks the cancerous cells and does not
affect nearby healthy cells.
A frequently overlooked component necessary in finding a “cure” for
cancer is attacking cancer stem cells (CSCs). Unlike traditional
methods of attacking cancer cells, these stem cells have been found to
resist cancer drugs and are significantly harder to detect. These CSCs
mainly lay dormant avoiding the treatments currently in practice. This
is because the detection and treatment methods of today are based on
the fast reproductive rate of cancer cells. These inactive stem cells
however can spawn tumor growing cancer cells, even after treatments
have seemingly cleared all cancer cells. Success has been found in
solving this piece of the puzzle through the integration of
nanoparticles; however, it still is at an early stage [14].
[Fig. 5: Amount of published research articles regarding
nanotechnology and cancer per year showing a dramatic increase in
recent years.]
The Road of Research and Development to Practice:
As the year 2015 nears, the objectives of the NCI Alliance for
Nanotechnology in Cancer are nearing completion. The obstacle that
stands in the way of truly unlocking the door of this catastrophic
epidemic can be removed with continual testing of applications that
have recently been developed. For the potential of better treatments
to be released, there must be a deeper confirmed understanding of all
aspects of the way cancer works through interacting with technology.
This is necessary in order to meet the FDA and other regulatory
processes. An extensive study in 2008 found cancer patients lost an
estimated 15.5 years of life [15]. With 12.7 million people diagnosed
with cancer annually, and 7.6 million cases resulting in death [16], the
impact of such a technological-medical breakthrough represents a
monumental achievement for medicine.
[Suggested end of article media inclusion]
Characterizing Nanomedicines To Help Fight Cancer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=znP_5v
_ms-o
References:
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