In this segment of the Global Trends video series our experts focus on the growth of nanotechnology in human health applications.

What role do nanomaterials play in optimizing human health?

For centuries, the materials sciences have been the foundation on which our society is built, and we continue to find this true in modern day, with nanomaterials playing an important role in addressing macro challenges in various sectors including health, energy, and future cities.

Nanomaterials have these unique physical and electronic properties that you don’t see in bulk materials, so they have this ability to interact with biological systems in ways that conventional technologies quite honestly haven’t been able to. You can see this demonstrated not only with what’s available in healthcare today that is nanotechnology-based, but also what’s happening in academia.

In this segment of the Global Trends video Series Landon Mertz, CEO of Cerion Nanomaterials and Liam Critchley, an expert in chemistry and nanotechnology, look critical areas where nanotechnology is having a big impact already including diagnostics, prosthetics, nanomedicines as well as certain challenges

Highlights

  • The future of medicine, and nanomedicine specifically, is personalized and highly customized (e.g., Controlled release and targeted drug delivery).
  • Some of the main nanoparticles involved in human health applications include gold, iron oxide, and that class of polymer and liposomal nanoparticles.
  • Today, there are about 30 approved nanomaterial-based medicines
  • Product developers in nanomedicine, and medicine in general, need more novel approaches to quickly determine, not only short-term impacts, but long-term impacts to health with the ability to extrapolate in vitro results to predict the in vivo results.
  • Companies who run into challenges, especially during scale-up, and not being able to preserve the unique attributes of the particles as they bring it to larger scale.
  • There are serious opportunities for nanomaterials for the advancement of point of care diagnostics.
  • Precise control of the infinite permutations of nanomaterial attributes opens up new possibilities for earlier detection of disease.
  • The strength to weight ratios of nanomaterials is a great asset to optimizing prosthetics.
  • Is there going to be any regulatory barriers that could cause issues towards a widespread adoption of nanomaterials in human health applications?

About the Global Trends in Nanomaterials Series

The Global Trends video series features conversations with Cerion Nanomaterials CEO, Landon Mertz, and Chemistry and Nanotechnology Subject Matter Expert, Liam Critchley as they discuss key areas where materials science is impacting development and innovation on a global scale.

About 10 years ago, the Royal Society of Chemistry published a relatively comprehensive document called the “Roadmap for the Future” that highlighted the tremendous population pressures society will experience over the next 50 years. And this will have a variety of impacts on our daily lives – everything from the food supply, health, water and air, and the environments we live in.

The assessment and report findings have remained spot on over the past decade, and it is evident that the report’s conclusion that nanomaterials, and broadly materials science, will play a key role in addressing these challenges. This video series discusses these topics through the present-day lens and the continued and increased role of nanomaterials in society.