Nanotechnology in medicine getting smaller and smarter Flashcards
What was a revolutionary moment in nanotechnology history?
Lecture held in CIT 1959
Richard Feyman
Described how could write Encyclopedia on a pin head
What does nano mean?
Greek word for dwarf
10^-9 of a meter
What is a nm compared to a m?
1 nm = 10^-9 of a meter
Why do the properties of materials change on a nanoscale?
Larger SA:V ratio
Highly reactive
Affect mechanical and electical properties of a material
Quantum effects dominate the behaviour
What is the main driving force for the advancements in nanotechnology?
Electronic industry
What are the two approaches of engineering material for biomedical application?
Top-down approach
Bottom-up approach
What is the top-down approach of building nanomaterial?
Using block of material and creating nanopatterns on the surface
What is a useful analogy for the top-down approach of building nanomaterials?
Block of ice -> ice sculpture
What is a disadvantage of using the top down approach to build nanomaterials?
Difficult to provide high degree of accuracy
What is the bottom-up approach of building nanotechnology?
Manipulation of sub-units to make larger strucutre
What is a usefula analogy for the bottom-up apprach?
Building a house brick by brick
What is a disadvantage of the bottom-up approach?
Difficult to create a large enough structure with adequate quality that is clinically viable
What are peptide amplifiers?
PAs are self-assembling peptides with the ability to form nanofibers
What are the 4 regions of peptide amplifiers?
Hydrophobic alcohol chain
Beta sheet forming segments
Peptide charred segment
Custamisable bioactive epitope
Where does the ability for PAs to self-assemble come from?
Balance of attractive and repulsive forces within the nanoarchitecture of these peptides
