Nanoteknologi i kemoterapi

114435W-1CHEM11-AT1-SHE TASK-[NAVN A] TOTAL WORD COUNT: 1137

Research statement (91 words)

Nanotechnology is a revolutionary new technology that is gaining significant scientific interest across the medical world. Today doctors use chemotherapy to treat cancer which is damaging to the human body as the treatment destroys both healthy and cancerous cells. Nanotechnology enhances chemotherapy and reduces its adverse side effects by guiding drugs directly to the cancerous cells resulting in patients having higher survival rates when going through chemotherapy treatments. Researchers are currently developing chemotherapeutics with newly discovered nanoparticles which could replace the current chemotherapy treatments and save millions of people every year.

CHEMICAL BACKGROUND (404 words)

Nanotechnology is the science of extremely small structures measuring less than 100 nanometres on the nanoscale.1 The structures are exceptionally functional in various scientific fields mostly because of their size. The use of nanotechnology in cancer therapeutics is to improve the pharmacokinetics and reduce systemic toxicities of chemotherapies using artificially designed, specialised nanoparticles, that can deliver the drugs directly to the cancerous tumour.2 With nanoparticles the drug will not be released until it reaches the cancerous site which stops the drug from destroying healthy tissues around the tumour. The shape (including aspect ratios when applicable), size, and morphological sub-structure of nanoparticles are the most important characteristics. Aerosols (primarily solid or liquid phase in air), suspensions (mainly solid in liquids), and emulsions are all examples of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles make excellent catalysts because of their high surface area to volume ratio. Catalysts speed up chemical reactions therefore nanoparticles can penetrate cells and allow for quick release and absorption in impacted cells which increases bioavailability.3 Bioavailability of a drug is described as the fraction of an administered dose of a drug that reaches the site of action, the site of action in this case would be the cancerous cells and the tumour site.4