So nanotechnology is already producing developments but what is its potential? Well, the opportunities are huge and the work already under way could just be the start.
For example, the science could greatly speed up the process of creating vaccines because you could theoretically load many nanites with different vaccines and inject them into the host all at once to see if any of them work. Some scientists say that nanites will one day be able to run throughout our bodies via the circulatory system, through our blood, to monitor vital signs such as broken bones, torn muscle tissue, irregularities in metabolism levels and cholesterol levels. Nanotechnology may also play a role in cancer treatment. For example, odits are gold nanites that are able to track down cancer cells in the body and nanoparticles may be able to inject chemotherapy directly into cancer cells with minimal damage to the surrounding cells. And biomarkers will able to attach themselves to diseased cells so that a doctor can analyse them.
Some of this is happening now, other developments may take longer to come to fruition – and we may never create another tiny Raquel Welch – but one thing seems certain. Some may argue that the future is small but the potential is huge.
“Some scientists say that nanites will one day be able to run throughout our bodies via the circulatory system, through our blood, to monitor vital signs such as broken bones, torn muscle tissue, irregularities in metabolism levels and cholesterol levels.”
