Nanotechnology-based healthcare engineering products and recent patents—an update

ABSTRACT

The past decade has witnessed a tremendous boom in the field of nanotechnology. Owing to several desirable properties of nanomaterials, nanotechnology have revolutionised the current therapeutic paradigm, by carving a niche in the domains of healthcare. Products made by applying the principles of nanotechnology are not only cost-effective from the economic point of view, but also have tremendous advantages like increased specificity, tuneable physico-chemical properties, high surface to volume ratio when compared to their conventional counterparts. In this chapter, a comprehensive portrait of the use of nanotechnology in various aspects of healthcare engineering - ranging from basic research to the fabrication of translational marketed products have been provided. A host of innovative products for application in healthcare including healing body pads, self-heating quilt, smart nano biosensors for health care monitoring, and for diagnosis of several medical conditions have been discussed. This chapter also enlists an array of the recent patents filed for the products made using nano-based approaches in the field of healthcare engineering. The concerns regarding the safe use of nanotechnology-based products for healthcare are also discussed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.