Browsing by Subject "graphene"

This study explores the research, characteristics, manufacturing processes, safety and applications of graphene from the perspective of pharmacy and medicine. The study also examines how graphene research and commercialization has developed in the last ten years (2004-2013), with an emphasis on biomedical research globally and separately in Finland. The methods employed are an extensive literature review of scientific publications, and a survey of the biomedical research emphases, geographical distribution, and funding of graphene research based on article and patent databases. Graphene holds considerable potential in pharmaceutical use. Clinical trials can commence as soon as the manufacturing processes develop to produce graphene of sufficient quality. The variety of biomedical uses of graphene is vast: antibacterial products and coatings, gene therapy, tissue technology, sensor and imaging technology, as well as utilization in drug delivery. Graphene can be used to enhance therapeutic effectiveness by creating instruments for targeted and controlled drug delivery. In addition to uses in therapeutics, graphene offers possibilities for diagnostics. The biomedical research and commercialization of graphene have accelerated in the recent years, but research and patenting activity has concentrated in Asia, and especially in China. The research has been university driven and primarily publicly funded. In Finland, graphene research has focused on electrical applications, whereas research in the fields of pharmacy and medicine has been limited. As a so-called high-tech country, Finland could increase research into graphene as an innovative pharmaceutical instrument.