Nanotechnology ‘will solve medical challenges’

Nanotechnology will be able to solve many existing medical challenges and hurdles in the search for new drugs to fight diseases such as cancer, according to Frost and Sullivan, a growth consulting company.

It found that the market for drug discovery nanotechnology in Europe reached $174.2 million in 2005 and it estimates that this will reach $545.4 million by 2012.

The company stated that the properties of nano-materials enable them to be tailored to act the molecular level so that particular disease characteristics, such as the development of certain molecules found only in cancer cells, can be specifically targeted.

Dr Amarpreet Dhiman, the leader of Frost and Sullivan’s drug discovery team, said: “Within the realm of drug discovery and development, nanotechnology focuses mainly on improving diagnostic methods as well as developing superior drug formulations and drug delivery systems to enhance disease therapy.”

“The small size, surface tailorability, improved solubility and multifunctionality of nano-particles are opening many new avenues of research for biologists,” he added.

He concluded: “By collaborating together extensively, the complexity of combining disciplines in nanotechnology will generate new businesses and help accelerate critical advances.”

The company says that one obstacle to overcome is the fragility of nanoparticles, which are often unstable and can degrade rapidly in the environment of the body.

Nanotechnology is described as a multidisciplinary science with applications in many types of industry.

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