Fullerenes as Agents for Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery

In a world where the scale of technology is continuously shrinking, from phones to cars to solar panels, nanotechnology is seeing a rise in applications. Recently, increased use of nanotechnology in the medical industry brought fullerenes, sometimes referred to as Buckyballs, to the forefront. Fullerenes are currently being developed by engineers to encapsulate a chemotherapeutic drug and deliver it directly to the cancerous cell. This improved treatment minimizes interactions outside of the intended cell, consequently reducing some of the harsh effects typically observed with chemotherapy. Fullerenes are developed as an alternative method in the delivery of docetaxel and doxorubicin, medications used in breast and lung cancer chemotherapy. While chemotherapy is the most widely used method of cancer treatment, there remain a myriad of difficulties including low efficacy, or effectiveness, with the way the medicine enters the body, whether orally or intravenously. Fullerenes deliver the same medication using a unique capsule delivery method that minimizes the effect on non-cancerous cells and reduces unwanted side effects, a significant task for chemical engineers. After diffusing through the skin and travelling through the bloodstream without releasing the drug, fullerenes minimize problems such as hypersensitivity and reduce the number of treatments required, contributing to overall higher patient quality of life. Therefore, this technology is extremely relevant to engineers around the world who are looking to use fullerenes as methods for drug delivery. They seek to offer better treatment options that will reduce side effects normally associated with chemotherapy. The development of fullerenes demonstrates the benefits of nanotechnology in medicine by improving efficacy while reducing risk., consequently achieving social sustainability and reducing environmental impact.