special topics

2. harnesses biological
processes and uses them
for our own applications.
A subset of nanotechnology: atom-level engineering and manufacturing
using biological precedents for guidance. It is also closely married to
biotechnology but adds the ability to design and modify the atomic-level
details of the objects created.

4. Bionanomaterials
1) Biological materials utilized in
nanotechnology
- Proteins, enzymes, DNA, RNA, peptides
Cross-linked enzymes used
2) Synthetic nanomaterials utilized as catalyst – Univ. of Connecticut,
in biomedical applications
Storrs , 2007
- Polymers, porous silicon, carbon
nanotubes
Enzymes
are used as
oxidation
catalysts Bone cell on porous silicon
Porous silicon (PSi) Human cell on PSi – Univ. of Rochester, 2007

5. Bionanomachines are designed to atomic
specifications, they perform a well-defined
three-dimensional molecular task, and, in the
best applications, they contain mechanisms for
individual control embedded in their structure.
viewing the “microscopic dynamics’ of what is
occurring in the human body at a cellular level
“is like observing human activity on Earth from
an orbiting satellite,”

6. Nanochip
− Currently available microprocessors use
resolutions as small as 32 nm
− Houses up to a billion transistors in a single
chip
− MEMS based nanochips have future capability
of 2 nm cell leading to 1TB memory per chip
Nanoelectromechanical System
(NEMS) Sensors
− NEMS technology enables creation of ultra
small and highly sensitive sensors for various
applications
− The NEMS force sensor shown in the figure is
applicable in pathogenic bacteria detection

7. Designed to pick up
specific biological signals
usually by
producing a digital
electronic signal
associated with a specific
biological or chemical
compound.
It work by measuring sample interactions with a reactant as it
forms in to a product. The reaction is picked up by a sensor that
converts it to an electrical signal. The signal is then displayed/recorded
on a computer monitor.

8. Nanomedicine is the application of
nanotechnology in medicine, including to
cure diseases and repair damaged tissues
such as bone, muscle, and nerve
Key Goals for Nanomedicine
− To develop cure for traditionally incurable diseases
(e.g. cancer) through the utilization of nanotechnology
− To provide more effective cure with fewer side effects
by means of targeted drug delivery systems

9. • Genetics information storage and retrieval
• Diagnostics, such as the identifi cation of disease
• Detection of overall disease susceptibility, such as
Alzheimer’s
• Better classifi cation of diseases into different types and
subtypes
• Tailor-made drug design based on chromosomal
differences
• Gene therapy (e.g., for cystic fi brosis)
• Cell targeting (antibody development that zeroes in on
specific cells)

10. Nanotechnology offers
tools and techniques for
more effective detection,
diagnosis and treatment of
The microfluidic channel with nanowire
diseases sensor can detect the presence of altered
genes associated with cancer – J. Heath, Cali. Insti. of
Technology
Detection and Diagnosis
• Lab on chips help detection and
diagnosis of diseases more
efficiently
• Nanowire and cantilever lab on The nanoscale cantilever detects the
chips help in early detection of presence and concentration of various
cancer biomarkers molecular expressions of a cancer cell
– A. Majumdar, Univ. of Cal. at Berkeley

11. Lab on Chip
− A lab on chip integrates one or more laboratory
operation on a single chip
− Provides fast result and easy operation
− Applications: Biochemical analysis
(DNA/protein/cell analysis) and bio-defense
Lab on chip gene analysis
device – IBN Singapore, 2008
Microfluidics is the study of using
nanoscale liquid-filled channels to
move cells to different areas on a
base for various different types of
study.

13. Drug Delivery Systems
Impact of nanotechnology on drug delivery
systems:
− Targeted drug delivery
− Improved delivery of poorly water soluble
drugs
− Co-delivery of two or more drugs
− Imaging of drug delivery sites using imaging
modalities
Currently, most anti-cancer drugs can
affect healthy and cancerous tissue.
That's why the side effects of
chemotherapy can be so dramatic and
difficult to endure. But if doctors could
create a device that could target
specific cancer cells, they could use
medicine in such a precise way that
only the cancer would be affected. As a
result, patients would experience fewer
side effects.

14. • Targeted drug
delivery
− Nanoparticles
containing drugs are
coated with targeting
agents (e.g. conjugated
antibodies)
− The nanoparticles
circulate through the Targeted drug delivery –
blood vessels and reach Targeted drug delivery using a
multicomponent nanoparticle
the target cells containing therapeutic as well
as biological surface modifying
− Drugs are released agents – Mauro Ferrari, Univ. of Cal. Berkley
directly into the
targeted cells

15. Multi-functional therapeutics
are medicines that can be delivered to
specific areas of the body in different
ways (e.g., via mouth or blood).
The development of nanoscale injectable nanovectors, they
have tools that can cross the blood brain barrier. With the
help of MRI and targeting nanovectors, a physician can see
during a surgery whether all of a tumor has been removed.
Bad cells are targeted by the nanoparticles like lights on a
Christmas tree, so that healthy tissue is obvious and a lot less
medicine needs to be taken to ensure a cure.

17. Nanoshell
a type of spherical nanoparticle
consisting of a dielectric core which is
covered by a thin metallic shell (usually
gold).These nanoshells involve a
quasiparticle called plasmon which is a
collective excitation or quantum
plasma oscillation where the electrons
simultaneously oscillate with respect to
all the ions.
Gold nanoshells are shuttled into tumors by the use of phagocytosis where
phagocytes engulf the nanoshells through the cell membrane to form an internal
phagosome, or macrophage. After this it is shuttled into a cell and enzymes are usually
used to metabolize it and shuttle it back out of the cell. These nanoshells are not
metabolized so for them to be effective they just need to be within the tumor cells
and photoinduced cell death is used to terminate the tumor cells.

18. Thermal ablation of
cancer cells
− Nanoshells have metallic
outer layer and silica core
− Selectively attracted to
cancer shells either through a
phenomena called enhanced
permeation retention or due
to some molecules coated on
the shells
− The nanoshells are heated
with an external energy Thermal ablation of cancer cells assisted
by nanoshells coated with metallic layer
source killing the cancer cells and an external energy source – National Cancer
Institute

19. Bioavailability describes the delivery of healing molecules in the body
where they are needed and will do the most good.
Currently, many treatments come to a halt
when they get to the cell membrane.
They can’t pass through because they don’t
have the correct electrical charge. Putting
polar (charged) molecules into a non-polar
(uncharged) membrane doesn’t
work. One way to get around this is to coat a
polar molecule with a non-polar coating
that allows it to pass through the membrane
and deliver its treatment.

20. Self-Assembly
Microcapsules automatically assemble themselves
into a hollow sphere, doing the scientist’s work for
him or her. A microcapsule, shaped like an o, can
have antibodies or other proteins stuck on the
outside, with enzymes or other molecules inside.
1) hollow microcapsule
spheres with certain size “pores” in their outer
coatings are made to selfassemble
through chemical reaction with a polymer gel
and a salt; 2) larger molecules
are encapsulated through chemical reaction at
about the same time; 3) smaller
reactant molecules are added that slip inside
the microcapsules and react with the
encapsulated molecules; and 4) micro size
medicines fl ow back out in a time release
fashion.