Nanotechnology in Health: Nanomedicine, Diagnostics, and Drug Delivery in India

Nanomedicine is nanotechnology applied to medicine. Nanotechnology works with matter between about 1 and 100 nanometres. A nanometre is one billionth of a metre. Nanoparticles are far smaller than a human cell.

How small is that?

The US National Cancer Institute says these particles are about 100 to 10,000 times smaller than human cells.

Picture a cricket ground against one cricket ball. The ball is small, but it can still move around on the ground. In the same way, nanoparticles can reach places that bigger drugs cannot.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1 to 100 nanometres, medicine”.

Nanomedicine has four main uses. They are drug delivery, diagnostics, imaging and gene therapy. The first three help doctors treat and see disease. The last one helps fix the genetic cause.

What does each use do?

• Drug delivery: Nanoparticles carry a drug to a target. This can reduce harm to healthy tissue.
• Diagnostics: Tiny sensors can detect disease earlier.
• Imaging: Nanoparticles can make scans clearer.
• Gene therapy: Nanoparticles carry DNA or RNA into cells.

What is the memory hook?

Think “carry, detect, see, repair”.

A nanocarrier is a tiny container for a drug. Liposomes are one kind. A liposome is a small bubble made of fat-like molecules. The drug sits inside the bubble.

What is the Doxil example?

Doxil is liposomal doxorubicin. Doxorubicin is a strong cancer drug. It can harm the heart. Putting it inside a liposome lowers that risk.

• Doxil was the first nanomedicine the US FDA approved.
• That approval came in 1995.
• The liposome keeps the drug in the blood longer.
• More drug then reaches the tumour.

What is the memory hook?

Think “bubble around the drug”.

Genetic material breaks down easily in the body. A nanoparticle works like a protective shell. It carries the material safely to its target cells.

What is the Onpattro example?

Onpattro is a drug that uses small interfering RNA (siRNA). siRNA silences a part of RNA that causes disease.

• The US FDA approved it in August 2018.
• It treats nerve damage from a rare inherited disease.
• The siRNA sits inside a lipid nanoparticle.
• The nanoparticle carries it to the liver.

What is the memory hook?

Think “shell for the genetic message”.

India’s Nano Mission began in May 2007. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) runs it. It got Rs 1,000 crore for five years.

Which institute leads?

• The Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, grew out of the Mission.
• It is an autonomous institution of DST.
• It began work in January 2013.
• In 2026 its team built a light-driven nanobot for breast cancer therapy.
• That nanobot is still at the preclinical stage.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Mission 2007, INST 2013”.

Near-infrared (NIR) light goes deeper into the body than visible light. Visible light runs from 380 to 700 nanometres. NIR runs from 700 to 1400. Longer waves lose less energy in tissue.

Why does that matter?

The INST nanobot uses a 980 nanometre NIR laser. The beam can reach nanobots lying below the skin.

What is the memory hook?

Think “NIR goes deeper”.

UPSC asked about this topic in 2015. It gave two statements. One said nanotechnology enables targeted drug delivery. The other said it can contribute to gene therapy. Both are correct.

What are the traps?

• Do not doubt one: Both uses are real.
• Size: The range is nanometres, not micrometres.
• First nanomedicine: Doxil, in 1995.
• Stage: Many smart nano-devices are still in the lab.

How do you remember them?

Think “both uses real, size in nano”.