Use of Nanotechnology for Viable Applications in the Field of Medicine

Nanotechnology has found several promising applications in the field of modern medicine, including tissue engineering, which aims to repair damaged tissues and restore their functionality using a triad of cells, biomaterials, and signaling factors. Nanotechnology enables synthesis of biomaterials with high degrees of complexity and tissue specificity, and desirable mechanical, physical, and biochemical properties, which lead to their high biocompatibility. In addition, the surface of these scaffolds can be modified with newly developed nanotechniques to enhance cell–biomaterial interaction. Encapsulation is another area of interest that is used for both in vitro culture of the cells in 3D conditions and delivery of the cells to the injured tissues. Capsules of various sizes can be synthesized with controlled pore structure and swellability to restrict or enhance transport of biological molecules. Most recent development in the field of nanoscale drug delivery allows for a local delivery of biomolecules to the cells seeded on the scaffolds. Another relevant area of interest to many tissue engineering applications is isolation of cells with a particular phenotype from a mixed cell population. The advances of nanotechnology in cell biology that enable a precise study of cell phenotype, extracellular matrix properties, and cell fate after implantation to the living organism greatly promote the field of tissue engineering as well. In this review, we give a comprehensive overview of the most relevant roles of nanotechnology in the various applications listed above.