title: Nanomedicine and its potential in diabetes research and practice.
abstract: Nanomedicine involves measurement and therapy at the level of 1-100 nm. Although the science is still in its infancy, it has major potential applications in diabetes. These include solving needs such as non-invasive glucose monitoring using implanted nanosensors, with key techniques being fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and fluorescence lifetime sensing, as well as new nano-encapsulation technologies for sensors such as layer-by-layer (LBL) films. The latter might also achieve better insulin delivery in diabetes by both improved islet encapsulation and oral insulin formulations. An 'artificial nanopancreas' could be an alternative closed-loop insulin delivery system. Other applications of nanomedicine include targeted molecular imaging in vivo (e.g. tissue complications) using quantum dots (QDs) or gold nanoparticles, and single-molecule detection for the study of molecular diversity in diabetes pathology.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Metabolic Medicine, King's College London School of Medicine, Guy's Hospital, London, UK. john.pickup@kcl.ac.uk <john.pickup@kcl.ac.uk>
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pickup
authors.forename: Zheng-Liang
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Zhi
authors.forename: Faaizah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saxl
authors.forename: David J S
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Birch
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D012106:Research / Q000639:trends*; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin