Nanotechnology in the pharmaceutical industry

 

Nanotechnology is the field of sciences dedicated to control and manipulation of matter on a scale smaller than a micrometer, that is, at levels of atoms and molecules.

Did you know that 1 Nanometer has:

• 80K to 100K times smaller than the hairline thickness?
• Is it approximately 3 to 6 atoms wide?
• That your nail grows one nanometer per second?

 

As it is an extremely multidisciplinary area and encompasses several sciences such as chemistry, physics, engineering and biology, this science allows various fields to make use of it. According to the StatNano platform, which globally maps the nanotechnology market, there are currently 9,346 nanotechnological products, produced by 2,709 companies in 64 countries. And we’re just at the beginning.

As a promoter of innovations and several scientific and technological advances, the pharmaceutical sector could not be left out in the world of nanotechnology.

 

Nanotechnology will revolutionize medicine.

 

Nanobots (nanometre-scale robots) will be able to detect and repair new diseases and existing problems in the body. The use of nanotechnology will also enable surgery to be performed at the cellular level.

A nanotechnological drug is capable of acting and treating only the tissues affected by a disease, unlike, for example, the mode of action of chemotherapeutics that affect all tissues, whether they are healthy or not. In the United States, for example, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved the commercialization of 100 applications and products of nanomedicine in the last two decades.

 

The use of nanomedicine in target cells

Nanomedicine can be used to test new drugs in target cells and more effective treatments, such as:

– Development of nanocarriers for cancer treatment, which can deliver the drug to diseased cells without reaching healthy cells.

– Nanoparticles loaded with drugs.

– Nanoimplants for gestational control.

– Nanoparticles that allow dynamic patient diagnosis in a few hours.

 

Advantages of Nanomedicine:

 

• Rapid diagnosis of diseases.
• More accurate treatments for diseases such as cancer.
• Deep body tissue repair.

 

Brazil has research groups such as GNano, from São Carlos Institute of Physics at the University of São Paulo, dedicated to the studies of nanomedicine and nanotoxicology, as well as a strong hub of startups and companies in Santa Catarina, where companies such as Nanovetores were born , TNS Nano and NanoScoping.

 

Nanomedicine is an ever closer reality, and it promises to revolutionize the way we diagnose, treat and even cure diseases. Ayalla, through its triad solution, concept and technology, studies and seeks partners and products that meet the demands of nanomedicine in Brazil, promoting innovation in the face of the challenges of this new and important area.