Nanotechnology for cancer Flashcards
How many deaths is cancer responsible for globally?
One in six.
What fraction of UK citizens will develop cancer at some point over their lifetime?
About half.
What is doxorubicin?
A chemotherapy drug that is known to increase the probability of heart failure.
What is the diameter of DNA?
2 nanometers.
What is background mortality?
A phenomenon seen in survival rates where a particular subpopulation has a survival rate above that of the general population.
What is sensitivity?
Also known as recall, a test’s sensitivity is the fraction of positives that it correctly identifies.
What is the purpose of testing for HPV in women? How can nanotechnology be used to identify HPV?
To screen them for cervical cancers. DNA from the HPV virus is placed on a microarray of photodiodes, then a sample of patient’s DNA is exposed to the chip. If present, HPV DNA will bind to the microarray cell containing matching DNA. Gold and silver nanoparticles then bind to the HPV and block light from a laser reaching the photodiode. The drop in potential across the photodiode is a signal for the presence of HPV.
What is a biopsy?
Blood sample analysis.
What is NanoDLD?
Analysis of the exome content of a patient’s blood sample, using nanoscale filters.
Describe the process by which NanoXray functions.
Nanor Xray particles are injected directly into the tumour, where they enter the cancerous cells. The particles absorb and amplify ionizing radiation generated by a radiotherapy machine. In the trial Emma cited, thee technique increased the probability of a cure by about 30% and did not affect the probability of an adverse event.
What is pH?
A measure of proton concentration, i.e. acidity. It is equivalent to the -log10(H+ concentration in mols/vol). A higher pH therefore corresponds to a more basic solution.
What is pH phoresis?
The phenomenon by which weak bases tend towards acidic solutions (i.e. cancerlike-regions of the body).
How can gold nanoparticles be used to locate a cancer?
Gold nanoparticles permeate cancerous cells but not healthy ones. Inject gold nanoparticles into a surgery site pre-operation, perform the surgery, then user a laser to heat up any remaining nanoparticles. If particles are still present, they will form bubbles. The popping of these bubbles can be identified using a microphone. If bubbles are generated, then it is likely that part of the cancer has not been removed from the patient.
