Society is currently living in the dawn of the nanomedicine age. Nanoparticles and nanodevices are increasingly used in the development of drug delivery systems, cancer treatments, and surgeries. Operating at atomic and molecular levels, nanotechnology comprises the fields of science, engineering, and technology. One of the major medical advances in recent years has been the application of nanotechnology in tissue engineering, which allows for healing or replacing damaged tissues and improves the functions of the normal ones.
The biggest challenges that make tissue engineering an important field to develop include the short supply of donor tissues and organs, as well as high transplant rejection rates. In order to solve these problems, scientists have found a way to form new tissues using isolated host cells (Hasan et al., 2018). To minimize the risks of rejection, special structures, or scaffolds, should be used as a support for tissue formation. Being able to mimic their bio environments, nanostructures are essential to produce engineering scaffolds, which then serve as the basis for tissue growth (Nobile & Nobile, 2017). When cells are taken from the body, they require these scaffolds to direct them to grow in certain shapes. Nanostructures can have different helpful functions that vary according to their design. Depending on the tissue or the organ needed, the materials for the scaffolds may differ: metals, ceramics, synthetic polymers, and natural polymers are used to develop different tissues.
To conclude, it can be stated that using nanostructures in tissue development is an extremely beneficial technology, as nanoparticles can mimic environments that are specific to certain tissues. They are used to correctly shape cell growth, avoiding obstacles that may cause inhibition. Scientists believe that with the help of nanotechnology-equipped devices even complex issues could be regenerated and transplanted successfully.
References
Hasan, A., Morshed, M., Memic, A., Hassan, S., Webster, T., & Marei, H. (2018). Nanoparticles in tissue engineering: Applications, challenges and prospects. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 13, 5637-5655. Web.
Nobile, S., & Nobile, L. (2017). Nanotechnology for biomedical applications: Recent advances in neurosciences and bone tissue engineering. Polymer Engineering & Science, 57(7), 644-650. Web.