Research training and academic disciplines at the convergence of nanotechnology and biomedicine in the United States

The Role of Education in Nanomedicine as a Current Need for Academic Programs Related to the Healthcare Field: A Scoping Review

Introduction

Clinical research has recently focused on developing diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives through nanomedicine, and it has become essential for both current and coming healthcare professionals, especially medical residents, to know about it to face actual challenges in the setup of their professional practice.

Approach

This scoping review was conducted to show the relevance of nanomedicine in the formation of medical residents and to determine the educational strategies proposed worldwide for their teaching.

Results

12 records met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, including information related to the importance of teaching nanotechnology, possible educational approaches, or the best action strategies for incorporating said teaching.

Discussion

Multiple studies showed the need for students in health-related programs to be trained and instructed in topics related to nanotechnology. Still, the students' perceptions highlight how inadequate or non-existent such education in this field is. Although a few studies have proposed strategies and approaches for incorporating nanotechnology in academic programs in different areas, it is still necessary to establish educational standards so that the training of future professionals will be uniform and of high quality. The concerned educational institutions' directives must try to ensure that their in-training staff receives an updated, full, and excellency education.

Engineered extracellular vesicles as intelligent nanosystems for next-generation nanomedicine

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), as natural carriers of bioactive cargo, have a unique micro/nanostructure, bioactive composition, and characteristic morphology, as well as fascinating physical, chemical and biochemical features, which have shown promising application in the treatment of a wide range of diseases. However, native EVs have limitations such as lack of or inefficient cell targeting, on-demand delivery, and therapeutic feedback. Recently, EVs have been engineered to contain an intelligent core, enabling them to (i) actively target sites of disease, (ii) respond to endogenous and/or exogenous signals, and (iii) provide treatment feedback for optimal function in the host. These advances pave the way for next-generation nanomedicine and offer promise for a revolution in drug delivery. Here, we summarise recent research on intelligent EVs and discuss the use of "intelligent core" based EV systems for the treatment of disease. We provide a critique about the construction and properties of intelligent EVs, and challenges in their commercialization. We compare the therapeutic potential of intelligent EVs to traditional nanomedicine and highlight key advantages for their clinical application. Collectively, this review aims to provide a new insight into the design of next-generation EV-based theranostic platforms for disease treatment.

Forming interdisciplinary expertise: one organization's journey on the road to translational nanomedicine

This paper provides a sociological account of how researchers of different disciplines become experts in translational nanomedicine. Using a case study of the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the author argues that the relationship between the different disciplines involved in translational nanomedicine should be understood in the broader sociopolitical context of the boundary politics between the academy, industry, and government. This study suggests that the process of training the nanobio expert is not simply a process of inculcating skills; it is also a process of institution building. In the case of the NCL, sustaining the laboratory's existence at the interface between the university, industry, and government informed how researchers practiced interdisciplinarity and cultivated their interdisciplinary expertise. It required mobilizing institutional resources through administrative/managerial strategies. Viewing the formation of a professional identity as a social process helps clarify the meaning of interdisciplinarity and provides insight in evaluating the performance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the design of nanoscience education.