Usage of Nanotechnology in Bioengineering
Today, the accelerated advancement in the field of science has accounted for the development and adoption of novel technologies all over the world. Modern and improved technological applications related to Quantum Biology, Quantitative Biology, Nutrigenomics, Synthetic Biology, Organic Electronics, Nanotechnology, Bioengineering and many other fields are seen to be rapidly emerging nowadays. Such developed technologies have enabled people to apply the mechanisms of one field for the advancement of another field as well. Usage of Nanotechnology in Bioengineering is a good example for this and it has resulted in many potential benefits on humankind, animals and nature.
Simply, Bioengineering is the application of life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics and engineering principles in medicine and biology. Biomedical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Bionics, Human-factors Engineering, Environmental Health Engineering and Genetic Engineering are some fields which comes under Bioengineering. Research studies have identified various technological applications which could be used to improve these fields, out of which Nanotechnology gets a prominent place.
Nanoparticles of certain metal oxides have a wide range of applications in Biomedical Engineering. Nanoparticles of Iron oxide can be used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic particle imaging and in ultrasonic techniques. Nanowires of Zinc oxide are utilized in imaging of cancer cells while nanoparticles of Titanium oxide are used for bone regeneration. The antibacterial property of silver nanoparticles has enabled them to be added in Polymers used as bone cement and wound dressings. Silver nanoparticles are utilized to coat neurosurgical catheters and materials used in cardiovascular implants as well. Moreover, tissue and implant engineering too accompanies the features of nanotechnology. Tuning the roughness of the implant surface at nanometric scale is essential in yielding better biological responses of osteogenic cells. The strong bone–implant interface thus created aids in proper healing of the tissue. Another application of nanotechnology in Biomedical Engineering is the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The nanometer size of CNTs has enabled them to be used as effective drug delivery systems within the body. Nanotechnologically developed specialized liposomes too are used to deliver bioactive compounds such as antimicrobials, antioxidants and certain proteins within the body. Furthermore, CNTs are good platforms for the proliferation of osteoblasts and thereby for the regeneration of bones. Recently, use of collagen-modified calcium carbonate nanotubes for bone regeneration became popular too.
Agricultural Engineering is the use of operations and new technologies to improve land use, increase yields and to conserve resources, ultimately making agriculture more sustainable, safe and environmental friendly. Research has found that Agricultural Engineering can be effectively developed using Nanotechnology. Nanoparticles can be used to deliver herbicides, chemicals or genes to specific parts of a plant. Moreover, fibers discarded as waste in cotton industry are used to produce nanofibers, which can be used as fertilizers or pesticide absorbents in agriculture. Nowadays, scientists are working on a novel method for biofuel production, where Nano-engineered enzymes are used to convert cellulose from plant waste into ethanol in a simple, cost-effective manner. Other than that, in precision farming, nanosensors are used to manage the supplying of water, pesticides and nutrients to the plants. Nanosensors can detect the presence of plant pests, plant viruses, water-stress conditions and can detect the levels of soil nutrients as well. Thereby, they automatically adjust the relevant applications and levels to effectively compensate the situation. Today, nanoencapsulated fertilizers have become a trend to regulate fertilizer consumption and to minimize environmental pollution. Furthermore, nanobarcodes and nanoprocessing techniques are used to monitor the quality of agricultural produce, by checking whether there are any pathogenic organisms inhabited in the produce.
With the rapidly increasing world population and decreasing availability of land resources, it is essential to increase the productivity of food crops to compensate the rising demand for food. Engineering crops to tolerate various environmental stresses and to improve yield attributes was identified as an essential factor to increase crop productivity, and this is the place where Nanobionics came into action. In the Nanobionic approach of crop engineering, nanomaterials with high solar energy harvesting capacity are trapped into chloroplasts of plant cells. These nanomaterials increase the chloroplast carbon capturing capacity, and thereby improve photosynthesis, biomass and yield of crops. Moreover, nanotubes like Polyacrylic Acid Nanoceria (PAA-NC) and Single-Walled Nanotube-Nanoceria (SWNT-NC) act as effective free-radical scavengers within extracted chloroplasts and thereby influence the sensing process in plants. Nanomaterials are used to accomplish target specific gene manipulation in plants too, as they can deliver DNA and chemicals to specified plant cells.
Genetic Engineering is another important branch of Bioengineering which harbors the applications of Nanotechnology. Conventionally, genetic engineering of plants was done by either shooting genes into plant tissue or by inserting genes into the plant via genetically-modified bacteria. However, these techniques have various drawbacks and small success rates. It was at this point a group of researchers from University of California demonstrated that Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) can be used to accomplish effective plant biotransformation. It was discovered that CNTs have the ability to insert genetic material into the nucleus, chloroplast or into any other plant cell organelle with its own genome in an efficient way. Moreover, other than to plants, genetic nanotechnology can be applied to animal cells as well. In 2017, a team of researchers examined how nanotechnology could be used to switch off a major cholesterol-related gene in mouse liver cells (PCSK9). Scientists studied this mechanism using the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system. Conventional methods used to deliver the ingredients required for CRISPR-Cas9 was inefficient and this was the challenge that the scientists surpassed using nanotechnology. They placed the required CRISPR material in nanoscale fat particles which were then injected into mice. The fat particles then made their way to the liver, and this novel approach was found to be very effective. It got rid of PCSK9 gene in at least 80% of the liver cells.
Thus, it is evident that the features and mechanisms used in Nanotechnology can be effectively employed in empowering the field of Bioengineering. At last but not least, it is our responsibility to use science and technology to serve mankind, and gift our knowledge to the future generation, because “the science of today is the technology of tomorrow”.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/technology/bioengineering
https://bioeng.berkeley.edu/about-us/what-is-bioengineering
https://www.utoledo.edu/.../prospective/whatisbioe.html
http://www.hajim.rochester.edu/.../biomedical...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5425815/
https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=rjnn.2015.1.5
https://www.isaaa.org/.../publicat.../pocketk/39/default.asp
https://www.imnovation-hub.com/.../plant-nanobionics-the.../
http://www.nanobionics.pro.br/definitions/
https://www.researchgate.net/.../335996235_Application_of...
https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5278
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