![Nanotechnology and medicine](/sites/default/files/styles/400_x_202/public/2024-08/N29696_Blog-HealthLingo-Nanomedicine.jpg?h=8f5f20a3&itok=RO0x7yjm&cb=f10a9abe)
There’s tiny and then there’s “nano” tiny. We’re talking small as in thousands of times smaller than the thickness of a human hair, small as in atomic and molecule-level small.
The science of creating things on that amazingly small scale, called nanotechnology, also is making its mark in medicine. The use of nanotechnology in health care is known as nanomedicine.
If your last exposure to science was dissecting a frog in high school biology class, don’t worry. We’ll do our best to break it down.
Nanotechnology has been around for decades. Nanoparticles of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide have been in sunscreen for years to make it more effective. Plus, they make sunscreen feel lighter on your skin. Nanotechnology also helps produce waterproof clothing, create stronger adhesives, and even help tennis balls stay bouncier longer.
Because of their extremely small size, nanoparticles can get to places other medicines or treatments can’t. Your brain is an example. It has a protective layer called the blood brain barrier that keeps out larger molecules. That can present a problem getting drugs to the brain. Nanoparticles can cross that barrier. Your eyes also have a protective barrier, so nanoparticles are useful there as well.