Medicine

Nanotechnology in medicine involves the use of nanoparticles, some of them under development, in several applications.
One application is to employ nanoparticles to deliver drugs, heat, light or other substances to specific types of cells (such a cancer cells). Particles are engineered so that they are attracted to diseased cells, which allows direct treatment of those cells. This technique reduces damage to healthy cells in the body and allows for earlier detection of disease.
Other application of nanotechnology are therapy techniques. For instance, there are “nanosponges” that absorb toxins and remove them from bloodstream. The nanosponges are polymer nanoparticles coated with a red blood cell membrane. The red blood cell membrane allows the nanosponges to travel freely in the bloodstream and attract the toxins.

Development of diagnostic techniques is another field of application: antibodies attached to carbon nanotubes are used in chips to detect cancer cells in the blood stream; other method uses gold nanorods functionalized for the early detection of kidney damage. In addition, nanorobots could be programmed to repair specific diseased cells, functioning in a similar way to antibodies in our natural healing processes, and nanoparticles are used to implant and prosthetic design too.
Antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles is the most studied and employed  property of nanotechnology, used in both medical and cosmetic applications. Therefore, advances in nanotechnology have significantly impacted in personal care products for the topical skin care: zinc oxide is used in sunscreens to block ultraviolet rays while minimizing the white coating on the skin. Other nanoparticle and proteins encapsulated in liposome nanoparticles are used to reverse aging at a cellular level.

Application	Product or article	Improved properties	Nanomaterials
Medical and Healthcare Applications	Suppositories Wound dressing Tablets Creams Pregnancy tests Cancer drugs Novel gene sequencing technologies Bone and neural tissue engineeringProthesis	Antibacterial Antimicrobial Cell response Viscosity and uniformity control of active ingredients Higher thermal resistance Higher tensile strength Electromagnetic interference Barrier properties Drugs targeted release Spinal cord injuries Mimic crystal mineral structure of human bone	Silver Gold Synthetic amorphous Nanoribbons Graphene
Cosmetics and personal care products	Sunscreens Make-ups Moisturisers Hair care products Toothpaste Deodorants Baby care products Face creams Neurons growthEncapsulation of nanoparticles	Stability of vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants Controlled release of active ingredients UV barrier Aesthetically pleasing products (not leaving a noticeable white cast)Deeper penetration of the product	Zinc oxide Titanium oxide Silver Carbon black Fullerenes Synthetic amorphous silica