Nanotechnology and surgical neurology

"Extremely minimally invasive": recent advances in nanotechnology research and future applications in neurosurgery

The term "nanotechnology" refers to the development of materials and devices that have been designed with specific properties at the nanometer scale (10(-9) m), usually being less than 100 nm in size. Recent advances in nanotechnology have promised to enable visualization and intervention at the subcellular level, and its incorporation to future medical therapeutics is expected to bring new avenues for molecular imaging, targeted drug delivery, and personalized interventions. Although the central nervous system presents unique challenges to the implementation of new therapeutic strategies involving nanotechnology (such as the heterogeneous molecular environment of different CNS regions, the existence of multiple processing centers with different cytoarchitecture, and the presence of the blood-brain barrier), numerous studies have demonstrated that the incorporation of nanotechnology resources into the armamentarium of neurosurgery may lead to breakthrough advances in the near future. In this article, the authors present a critical review on the current 'state-of-the-art' of basic research in nanotechnology with special attention to those issues which present the greatest potential to generate major therapeutic progresses in the neurosurgical field, including nanoelectromechanical systems, nano-scaffolds for neural regeneration, sutureless anastomosis, molecular imaging, targeted drug delivery, and theranostic strategies.

The legacy of nanotechnology: revolution and prospects in neurosurgery

Nanotechnology has been an ever-growing field since the discovery of carbon fullerenes, and is being assimilated progressively into a variety of other disciplines including medical science. The association with neurosurgery had initially been less well characterized compared to other organ systems, but has recently offered promising future potential for a wide range of utilities including new therapeutic options for Glioblastoma Multiforme, neurprotection against oxidative stress, nerve nanorepair, nanodiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, nanoimaging with nanoparticles and quantum dots, nanomanipulation of CNS with surgical nanobots, and nanoneuromodulation with nanofibres & nanowires. This article examines such potentials as well as others, of the utility of nanotechnology in Neurosurgery.