Nanotechnology and diabetes

Abstract

Nanotechnology offers sensing technologies that provide more accurate and timely medical information for diagnosing disease, and miniature devices that can administer treatment automatically if required. Some tests such as diabetes blood sugar levels require patients to administer the test themselves to avoid the risk of their blood glucose falling to dangerous levels. Certain users such as children and the elderly may not be able to perform the test properly, timely or without considerable pain. Nanotechnology can now offers new implantable and/or wearable sensing technologies that provide continuous and extremely accurate medical information. In the long run, nanotechnology will clearly open up many routes to treatments and cures for diabetes, as it will for many of the diseases and conditions that currently plague mankind. Nanotechnology offers some new solutions in treating diabetes mellitus. Boxes with nanopores that protect transplanted beta cells from the immune system attack, artificial pancreas and artificial beta cell instead of pancreas transplantation, nanospheres as biodegradable polymeric carriers for oral delivery of insulin are just some of them. The abilities of nanomedicine are huge, and nanotechnology could give medicine an entirely new outlook. Whilst some of these technologies are quite far-fetched, there is evidence that we will see significant advances in the treatment and management of diabetes quite soon. The purpose of this review is to throw more light on the recent advances and impact of nanotechnology on biomedical sciences to cure diabetes.