Whitepaper: From centralized to decentralized healthcare - overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities through nanotechnology

Introduction:

Nanoscale innovation – notably nanomedicine and nano diagnostics – can be a gamechanger for healthcare, enabling a paradigm shift from a centralized model to a decentralized approach in that sector.

Nanotechnology involves the design, production, and use of materials at nanoscale level – a nanometre is a billionth of a metre. In healthcare, this tiny technology can diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases more effectively, delivering much improved health outcomes for patients.

This white paper aims to explore the many practical and commercial healthcare applications for nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology healthcare applications:

Nanoparticles can be used to create prosthetic limbs, pacemakers, and other medical devices.

·       Diagnostics: nanoparticles can be used to detect biomarkers for various diseases, including cancer, through techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET).

Nanoparticles can also be engineered to bind to specific cells or tissues, easing disease identification and diagnosis.

·       Therapeutics and drug delivery: nanoparticles engineered to carry drugs can then target specific cells or tissues, reducing the amount of drug needed, controlling the dosage over a specified time if required and minimizing side effects. For example, nanoparticles can carry chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells, boosting efficacy of the treatment while reducing side effects.

·       Implants: nanoparticles can help create biocompatible implants, more readily accepted by the body. This technology can be used to create prosthetic limbs, pacemakers, and other medical devices.

·       Anti-counterfeiting: nanotechnology can prevent counterfeiting of commercial drugs by adding tiny particles, known as quantum dots, to the drug packaging or the drug itself. Quantum dots are nanoscale crystals that emit a specific colour when excited by light. The colour can be controlled by changing the size of the quantum dots.

Investment and commercial start-ups:

The nanotechnology market size for healthcare applications, such as nanomedicine, nano diagnostics, quantum dot materials, cancer treatments using nanotechnology, and graphene – another nanomaterial – is hard to quantify as it encompasses various sub-sectors and applications. However, a recent report by Grand View Research, valued the global nanotechnology market at USD 54.2 billion and forecast a 14.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from now up to 2028.

Nanomedicine is one of the fastest-growing nanotechnologies, driven by advancements in drug delivery, disease diagnosis, and imaging technologies. Allied Market Research has valued the global nanomedicine market size at nearly $200 million, and projects it will almost double to $393 million by 2030 with a 9.2% CAGR.

Nano diagnostics is another promising nanotechnology sub-sector, driven by increasing demand for point-of-care testing, personalized medicine, and non-invasive diagnostic technologies. Market Research Future has forecast a global nano diagnostics market worth $15.8 billion by 2027 on the back of a 7.8% CAGR.

Quantum dots has emerged as a new class of nanomaterials with unique optical and electronic properties for various healthcare applications, including imaging, drug delivery, and cancer therapy. MarketsandMarkets says the quantum dot market will hit $8.6 billion by 2026, representing a CAGR of 16.2%.

A report by Precedence Research has valued the global cancer treatments market at $286 billion and expects it to more than double to $581 billion by 2030 - a 8.2% CAGR.

Cancer treatments using nanotechnology and nanoparticles are also making healthcare headlines, with several promising drug delivery and imaging technologies in development. A report by Precedence Research has valued the global cancer treatments market at $286 billion and expects it to more than double to $581 billion by 2030 - a 8.2% CAGR.

Graphene, a two-dimensional nanomaterial with unique mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, offers yet more healthcare breakthroughs, notably in drug delivery, biosensors, and tissue engineering. FortuneBusinessInsights has estimated the global graphene market at $337 million, growing to over $2 billion by 2029 – a 30.5% CAGR.

Not surprisingly, the nanotechnology opportunities in healthcare has fostered numerous start-ups and developments, notably:

·       Nanospectra Biosciences: has a technology called AuroLase using gold nanoparticles to treat cancer. The nanoparticles are injected into the body and then activated by a laser, which heats the particles and destroys cancer cells.

·       Respicardia: has created a pacemaker-like device that uses nanotechnology to stimulate the phrenic nerve, which controls breathing. The device is used to treat sleep apnea, a condition that causes breathing to stop and start during sleep.

·       Nanopore Technologies: has developed a device that uses nanopores – tiny pores in a nanomaterial – to sequence DNA in real-time, providing rapid and accurate results.

·       BIND Therapeutics: is a biopharmaceutical company researching nanotechnology-based targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs to cancer cells.

·       Niramai: uses nanotechnology-based thermal imaging for the early detection of breast cancer.

·       Resonant Nanotech: develops and produces graphene-based biosensors for various applications, including point-of-care diagnostics and environmental monitoring.

·       CytImmune: specialises in cancer treatments based on its proprietary nanotechnology platform, which enhances delivery of therapeutic agents to tumors.

·       Exicure: develops gene therapies using its proprietary nanotechnology-based platform, which enhances the delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids to target cells.

Academic Institutes:

Numerous academic institutes are also working to apply the science of nanotechnology and improve healthcare outcomes, and here are some of the most notable:

UCLA is creating nanotechnology-based therapies for conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders.

The Center for Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering, USA – located at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the center is creating nanotechnology-based therapies for various acute conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders.

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, USA – is at Harvard University and developing nanotechnology-based medical devices, including implantable sensors and drug delivery systems.

The Institute for Molecular Manufacturing, USA – based in Palo Alto, California, the institute is developing molecular machines, including nanobots to treat diseases.

National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore – the NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (NUSNNI) is a multidisciplinary research centre focused on innovative nanotechnology solutions for healthcare, including nanomedicine, nano diagnostics, and nano biosensors.

Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI), China – a joint research venture between Tsinghua University and the University of California, Berkeley, its nanotechnology research includes nanomedicine, cancer therapy, and drug delivery.

University College London (UCL), UK – the UCL Centre for Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine focuses on research into nanomedicine, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering.

University of Cambridge, UK – the Cambridge Centre for Medical Materials (CCMM) is a multidisciplinary research center working on advanced materials for healthcare applications, with key areas being nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, and medical implants.

Technical University of Munich, Germany – the Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI) is developing innovative imaging technologies for healthcare applications, especially through nanotechnology-based imaging agents, molecular imaging, and in vivo imaging.

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden – the Division of Nanobiotechnology at KTH is working on nanotechnology-based solutions for healthcare applications, notably nanomedicine, biosensors, and drug delivery using nanoparticles.

Monash University, Australia – the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) is researching innovative drug delivery systems using nanotechnologies, notably nanomedicine, targeted drug delivery, and nanoscale drug formulation.

Potential Barriers to healthcare decentralization:

Transition from a centralized to a decentralized healthcare model is a complex and challenging process needing significant investment, technological innovation, and policy changes.

Barriers to entry can include:

·       Infrastructure: decentralized healthcare requires a robust and efficient infrastructure, including communication networks, data storage and sharing systems, and often expensive cutting-edge medical devices.

This can be costly and time-consuming, especially in developing countries with limited resources. However, advances in technology, such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), can help here by sharing data and knowledge, while many nanotechnology healthcare breakthroughs are also cutting the cost of care, a point raised by a Forbes report:

“Nanotechnologies are able to significantly improve medical diagnostics by making them less expensive and convenient. A great example of this is smart pills, enabling doctors and patients to monitor a staggering number of diseases.”

·       Regulatory and policy barriers: these can impede transition to decentralized healthcare. For example, current regulations may not allow the telemedicine or remote monitoring technologies essential to decentralized healthcare. 

·       Patient adoption: patients may resist new technologies and healthcare delivery models, so it is essential to invest in educating patients about the benefits of decentralized healthcare and provide them with easy-to-use and accessible technologies.

Conclusion:

Nanoscale innovation offers significant support towards decentralization of healthcare systems allowing early intervention solutions delivered at the point of care for better outcomes, rather than sending patients to a central location.

Decentralisation can achieve this by enabling earlier and more accurate diagnoses, personalized treatments, and remote monitoring, while applications such as nanomedicine, nano diagnostics, and nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems are helping to shift the focus from treating illnesses – often when they are too well established – to preventing or catching them early.

By improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs, nanotech innovation is also helping to create a more patient-centric and accessible healthcare system.

Further nanotechnology investment and research can only speed the beneficial transition to a decentralized early intervention healthcare model.