Nanotechnology from Cancer Research is Transforming Sustainable Agriculture

Scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) are adapting nanotechnology initially developed for cancer treatment to agriculture to make agrochemicals safer, more efficient, and cheaper. The research project, led by Dr. Cong Vu, is focused on applying nanoparticles to improve pesticide delivery, reduce environmental contamination, and boost crop resistance.

Using Nanotechnology in Agriculture
Nanotechnology has been widely used in medicine, particularly in the treatment of cancer, to deliver drugs to targeted cells with less side effect. With the vision of its potential, Dr. Vu experimented whether the same principles can be adapted to pesticides. In 2021, he established UNSW startup NanoSoils Bio to develop nano-agrochemicals based on nanomedicine understanding.

Fungicides and pesticides are crucial in modern agriculture, but when used in large quantities, they tend to pollute the environment, hence killing beneficial organisms such as bees. Through the use of nanoparticles, Dr. Vu's team aims at encapsulating the chemicals in such a way that they reach only the pest, reducing chemical waste. The technology is expected to help address pesticide misuse issues, residue accumulation, and water and soil pollution.

More Resilient Agriculture
Aside from pesticide delivery, NanoSoils Bio is also developing silica nanoparticles to help cotton plants thrive during drought. Drought stress is a big concern for farmers, particularly in regions with irregular rainfall. The nanoparticles being developed can increase water holding capacity in plants and increase their resistance to extreme environments.

NanoSoils Bio filed its first two patents last week, which focus on optimizing nanoparticle performance. The company aims to lower the cost of manufacturing nano-agrochemicals, something that has been a major barrier to their application in agriculture for a long time.

Bridging Nanomedicine and Agriculture
Dr. Vu's research is a spinoff of the knowledge of nanomedicine, wherein nanoparticles are designed to target cancer cells based on size, shape, and surface chemistry. It has been found in research, for instance, that rod-shaped nanoparticles penetrate more easily into cells compared to spherical nanoparticles. Applying this knowledge to agriculture, scientists can design nanoparticles to improve the behavior of pesticides and other agrichemicals toward crops, increasing their efficiency and reducing cost.

Currently, nanomedicine has more patents and publications than nano-agriculture. However, by expanding on previous work, NanoSoils Bio is racing ahead to come up with viable applications in agriculture without starting from scratch. The dream is to make a low-cost product that benefits farmers as well as the environment.

A Sustainable Future for Agriculture
Dr. Vu turned his attention to sustainable agriculture as he comes from a farming region in Vietnam and has seen the impact of excessive use of pesticides firsthand. More than 90% of sprayed pesticides typically filter into the environment and kill non-target species. Regulating delivery of pesticides at the nanolevel, however, the new technology would be capable of reducing environmental damage significantly while still being able to protect crops from the damage they need protection from.

With increasing challenges to agriculture posed by climate change, pest resistance, and soil erosion, technologies like nanotechnology can potentially become crucial in ensuring food security. Through improving the efficacy of pesticides and drought resistance in plants, NanoSoils Bio's work can potentially assist in more sustainable agriculture. 

Conclusion
Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture with agrichemicals that are more effective yet less environmentally hazardous. By modeling research on treating cancer, researchers at UNSW are developing cutting-edge solutions towards making farming sustainable. As new breakthroughs keep coming, the technology could potentially be a critical tool in battling agricultural challenges across the world. 

Source & Credits:
Original research by UNSW Sydney researchers Dr. Cong Vu and team. Article prepared based on UNSW News.