Biology update #14 - Nanotechnology
Those of you (including me) that thought that nanotechnology is about tiny machines, you have to know that it is more than that. When it comes to biology it consists of substances injected in the body. It’s very different from science-fiction, but nano-engineering is involved at some stage of drug production.
For example, it can be drug-coated nano-particles, which makes chemotherapy for tumors more effective and with fewer side effects because the drug gets directly to the target in very small amounts.
Nano-sized technology has super-sized effect on tumors
It can also be a nano-engineered gel that is injected at a spinal cord injury and prevents scaring and enables fibers to regenerate and grow.
The gel is injected as a liquid into the spinal cord and self -assembles into a scaffold that supports the new nerve fibers as they grow up and down the spinal cord, penetrating the site of the injury.
Promising new nanotechnology for spinal cord injury
Another interesting alternative. The last I had heard of was stem cell therapy.