How do carbon nanotubes prove beneficial in medical health care?

CNTs are best fitted for controlled drug delivery due to their small size and hollow interior  

Their utilisation in medical healthcare is going to see drastic surge in coming years.This allotrope of carbon having meagre toxicity enhances its utility in medical healthcare.Their hydrophilic nature leads it adherence to drugs, protein, genes etc., and this property is utilised for delivering drug delivery , immunotherapy ,genetherapy and moving in cancer therapy etc.,.There is vast scope of  utilising this Carbon nanotubes with further tuning and improvement on  research of this molecule.This Pandora box will be magic in healthcare in future.

Department of Food Science, University of Tikrit, Iraq; [email protected] - [email protected]

Professor of Food Science, Ph.D. in Food Science and Biotechnology, with extensive experience in academic work, scientific research, graduate supervision, and scientific evaluation.

His research and teaching experiences include Food Biotechnologies, Human and Therapeutic Nutrition, Food Toxicology, Molecular and Medical Microbiology, Microbial Genetics, Food Quality Control, Bioenhancers and Lactic Acid Bacteria, Mycotoxins, Foodborne Pathogens, Antimicrobial Interventions, Nanotechnology, Food Contaminants, and Molecular Food Safety Assessment.

He has experience evaluating interdisciplinary scientific evidence and translating laboratory, microbiological, molecular, nutritional, and toxicological findings into specialized scientific opinions and judgments.

Food Safety and Risk Assessment, Food microbiology and foodborne pathogens, Food biotechnologies, Human and therapeutic nutrition, Food toxicity and mycotoxins, Bio-enhancers and lactic acid bacteria, Molecular and medical microbiology, Antibiotic resistance, Nanotechnology and antimicrobial nanomaterials, Food contaminants and heavy items, Safety and authenticity of meat and detection of adulteration of all kinds, Food Quality Control, Oxidative stress and antioxidants, Interactions between immunity and nutrition, Molecular diagnostics and virulence factors, Functional food and bio preservation of food.

-       Professor in the Department of Food Science, University of Tikrit, Iraq.

-       Head of the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tikrit, 2004-2010.

-       Scientific Assistant to the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tikrit, during the period 2010-2011.

-       Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Tikrit University, during the period 2011-2013.

-       Visiting Professor of Microbial Biotechnology, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, 2015–2016.

-       Visiting Professor of Human Nutrition, Jerash University, Jordan, 2016-2017.

-       Postdoctoral Fellowship in Microbial Biotechnology, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, 2014–2015.

1.              Supervised, as documented in the full academic resume, 55 doctoral students and 47 master's students.

2.              Chaired or served on more than 300 committees to discuss graduate students at different universities.

3.              Teaching areas include: Biotechnology, Human Nutrition, Therapeutic Nutrition, Food Toxicology, Genetic Engineering, Principles of Microbiology, Advanced Biotechnologies, Microbial Genetics, Medical Microbiology, Microbiology, Advanced Toxicology, and Food Quality Control.

4.              Membership of the editorial boards of the following journals, as proven in the scientific biography: EC Microbiology, American Journal of Biotechnology and Biochemistry , Biotechnology Journal International

1.              Thalij, K. M., Salman, F. A., & Jasm, M. A. (2026). Chemical and Molecular Evaluation of Heavy Element Residues and Adulteration of Meat Types in Meat Products in Tikrit City, Iraq. Journal of Meat Science, 21(1).

2.              Thalij, K., et al. (2026). Development of a sustainable and recyclable  oxC60–Ly@Fe GCE electrode: an environmentally friendly catalyst for the conduct of electrochemical sulfonation and preparation of benzene sulfonic acids. New Journal of Chemistry.

3.              Thalij, K. M., Hammoud, M. A., & Alnazal, A. A. (2025). The efficacy of zinc nanoparticles coupled with nisin or natamycin in the microbial and sensory properties of yogurt—proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences.

4.              Ali, N. L., Foo, H. L., Ramli, N., Halim, M., & Thalij, K. M. (2025). Efficient evaluation and optimization of intermediate components influencing the production of extracellular xylanase enzyme by Pediococcus pentosaceus G4 using statistical methods. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26, 7219.

5.              Ali, N. L., Foo, H. L., Ramli, N., Halim, M., & Thalij, K. M. (2025). Exploration of novel xylanase-producing lactic acid bacteria isolated from plant sources. Catalysts, 15, 990.

6.              Thalij, K. M., et al. (2025). Advances in Lipid-Based Nanomedicine: Pathway-Targeted Small Interlaced RNA Therapy and Optimization of Pathway Delivery for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 20, 10541–10566.

7.              Khashan, S. A., Khashan, B. A., Thalij, K. M., & Konca, Y. (2025). Effect of nanochitosan on reducing the toxicity of aflatoxin B1 and fumonisin B1 in broilers. Pakistan Veterinary Journal, 45(1), 268–276.

8.              Atiya, Y. M., & Thalij, K. M. (2025). Evaluation of the interaction of silver nanoparticles with colistin and antibiotics against bacterial isolates taken from patients with diarrhea—Medical Journal of Babylon, 22(4).

9.              Tawfeeq, S. M., Thalij, K. M., Abdel Wahab, M. H., & Sultan, M. A. (2025). Molecular detection of virulence genes (spy1258, scpA, sdaB) and their relationship to clinical characteristics of Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from patients with pharyngitis. Tikrit Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 19(2), 49–59.

10.           Alkhashab, A. A. N., Alhaji, T. A. K., & Thalij, K. M. (2024). The Effectiveness of Chitosan Membranes and Silver Nanoparticles in the Quality of Chicken Meat. Mesopotamia Journal of Agriculture, 52(2), 14–26.

11.           Hammoud, M. A., Thalij, K. M., & Alnazal, A. A. (2024). Efficacy of zinc nanoparticles and their conjugates with nisin and natamycin against microbes causing food poisoning. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1371, 062040.

12.           Alaobady, F. H., & Thalij, K. M. (2024). To evaluate the antioxidant and inhibitory efficacy of fermented extract of aloe vera against pathogenic bacteria isolated from diarrhoeal cases. Tikrit Journal for Agricultural Sciences, 24(1), 246–262.

1.              Microbiological, Chemical and Molecular Assessment of the Safety of Meat and Meat Products in Iraqi Markets (2025).

2.              Molecular Diagnosis of Microbes and Their Toxins Causing Food Poisoning in Different Foods in Iraqi Markets (2025).

3.              The Relationship between Dietary Patterns, Immune Status, Concomitant Microbes, and Genotypes in People with Type 2 Diabetes (2025).

4.              The Relationship between Genetic Polymorphism, Dietary Factors, and Heart Disease in Obese Individuals in Iraq (2025).

5.              Production, Purification, and Characterization of Xylanase Enzyme Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Iraqi Food, University of Putra, Malaysia (2025).

6.              The Effectiveness of Food Poisoning Agents Loaded with Zinc Nanoparticles in the Properties of Yogurt During Cryogenic Storage (2024).

7.              The Relationship between the Application of HACCP and the Quality of Meat Products in the Factories of Amman, Jordan (2024).

8.              Microbial and Chemical Evaluation of Restaurants in Petra, Jordan (2024).

1.              Ph.D. in Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Mosul, Iraq (2002).

2.              Master of Science in Food Science, University of Mosul, Iraq (1994).

3.              B.Sc. in Food Science, University of Mosul, Iraq (1987).

4.              Diploma in Quality Assurance System in Higher Education Institutions (2012).

5.              Diploma in Internal Audit of Quality Assurance System in Higher Education Institutions (2014).

6.              International training programs include: training in food biotechnology at the University of Malaya, Malaysia; training in milk and cheese production equipment in Italy; and participation in conferences and workshops related to food safety and related science.

1.              Independent scientific review and evaluation of evidence.

2.              Providing expert opinion on food safety, microbiology, nutrition, toxicity, and biotechnology.

3.              Evaluation of study designs, laboratory methods, molecular diagnostics, and interpretation of biodata.

4.              Evaluation of food contaminants, mycotoxins, foodborne pathogens, antimicrobial strategies, bioenhancers, and nanotechnology applications.

5.              Review scientific manuscripts, graduate research, research proposals, and interdisciplinary technical guides.

Arabic and English: Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

CNTs are nanosized, biocompatible, easy to functionalize, and have excellent optical and thermal properties. CNTs could be effectively uptake by different cells through different cellular uptake mechanisms. CNTs have wide applications in drug delivery and diagnostics, such as gene therapies, phototherapy, controlled release, and targeted applications in several diseases. This could be useful to reduce toxicity and off-target effects and increase the efficacy of the nanotherapeutics and biotherapeutics.

In preclinical settings, carbon nanotubes have been successfully used for drug and gene delivery applications and also as biosensors. Their applications are mainly attributed to their size, high penetration capability, and ease of synthesis. However, before their bench-to-bedside translation, it is extremely important to study their fate in vivo, since conventional testing may not be sufficient enough to study their kinetics and dynamics in the human body. 

How do carbon nanotubes prove beneficial in medical health care?

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are currently researched for medical healthcare, more specifically in the areas of (1) drug delivery and (2) biosensing, for health monitoring or disease treatment. These CNTs applications are potentially revolutionizing medicine. For example, the functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes have proven an enhanced solubility. Furthermore, these specific SWCNTs allow an efficient tumor targeting/drug delivery, while preventing the cytotoxicity or altering the immune cells’ function.

 

The CNTs drug delivery vehicles have shown encouraging results in targeting specific cancer cells with a lower dose than conventional drugs used, but just as effective in killing the cells, moreover without harming the healthy cells and significantly reduces side effects.

 

The CNTs based blood glucose biosensing/monitoring methods in diabetic patients take advantage of their super-small size. Moreover, the high electrochemically accessible surface area, the high electrical conductivity and the beneficial structural properties have shown the potential use of the SWNTs and the multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) in highly sensitive noninvasive glucose sensors. 

In contrast to traditional medications, CNTs' tiny size enables them to deliver lower dosages of medication to targeted disease cells in the body, decreasing side effects and damage to healthy cells. It enhances the disease cell targeting effectiveness due to its small dimensions.