Nanotechnology and multipotent adult progenitor cells in Reparative Medicine: therapeutic perspectives

ABSTRACT The biology of stem cells is one of the most dynamic and promising fields of the biological sciences, since it is the basis for the development of organisms. Its biological complexity demands efforts from several lines of research aimed mainly at its therapeutic use. Nanotechnology has been emerging as a new field of study, which shows great potential in the treatment of various diseases. This new area of health has been called “Nanomedicine” or “Bionanotechnology”, which can be applied in Medicine by transport and drug delivery systems, robotic tools to be used in diagnostic and surgical processes, nanobiomaterials, gene therapies, nanobiomedical devices, among others. Because stem cells and Nanotechnology are two areas of extremely promising science, a new field of study, called “stem cell Nanotechnology”, has gradually emerged. In this, Nanotechnology is used to help the stem cells apply their therapeutic potential in the treatment, cure, and repair of the damaged tissues, in an effective and safe way. In this way, stem cell Nanotechnology has generated great interest, since it may result in significant contributions to Regenerative Medicine and tissue engineering. The present work aims to present the state-of-the-art regarding its therapeutic use in Human Medicine.

摘要
干细胞（stem cells）生物学是生物科学领域最具活力与发展前景的分支之一，因其是生物体发育的核心基础。其复杂的生物学特性要求多领域研究协同发力，核心目标在于实现其治疗应用。纳米技术（Nanotechnology）作为新兴研究领域，在多种疾病的治疗中展现出巨大潜力。这一新兴健康科学领域被称为“纳米医学（Nanomedicine）”或“生物纳米技术（Bionanotechnology）”，可通过药物转运与递送系统、用于诊断与外科手术的机器人工具、纳米生物材料、基因治疗、纳米生物医药设备等多种途径应用于医学领域。鉴于干细胞与纳米技术均为极具前景的科学领域，新兴研究分支“干细胞纳米技术”逐渐兴起。该领域借助纳米技术辅助干细胞发挥治疗潜能，以安全有效的方式实现受损组织的治疗、修复与痊愈。正因如此，干细胞纳米技术受到广泛关注，有望为再生医学（Regenerative Medicine）与组织工程（tissue engineering）领域带来重大贡献。本研究旨在梳理该领域在人类医学治疗应用方面的前沿现状。