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
What is a nanocomposite polymer?
Composite material made of 2 or more entities - combine favourable properties of each entity
What is a distinguishing property of nanocomposites?
One or more of the composite forming the nanocomposite must be in a nanoscale
What are nanocomposites made of?
Matrix
Reinforcement
What shape does the reinforcement of the nanocomposite have?
Many shapes
Layered
Spherical
Fibres
Any change in the manufacturing technique can have a large impact on the final product
TRUE or FALSE
TRUE
What are examples of nanocomposites?
Carbon fibres - high performance cars
Peacock mantis shrimp - found in nature, breaks clam shells and fish tanks
Examples of nanoelectronics being integrated into biological tissues
Silicon nano fibre -> sensor elements for hybrid biomaterials
Lead to formation of freestanding nanoelectronic scaffolds
Cells were cultured inside the nanoelectronic scaffolds
What are features of the freestanding nanoelectronic scaffolds formed by silicon nanofibres?
Scaffolds are porous - give more flexibility
Provide a suitable microenvironment to the cells prior to tissue culture
What are two examples of nanomedicines used today?
Doxil
Palaclitaxel
What does Doxil treat?
Ovarian cancer
Surrounded by pegylated liposome to avoid phagocyte system
Travel to leaky capillaries of tumours - enhanced permeability and retention effect
What does Paclitaxel treat?
Hydrophobic drug
Needs to be dissolved before injected into the body - conventionally: caster oil = toxic
Treats breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer and pancreatic cancer
What nanoparticles are FDA approved and conventionally used?
Iron oxides
Contrast agent in MRI
What nanoparticles have not been FDA-approved but have been shown to be useful for in vitro diagnosis?
Gold nanoparticles
Nanoparticles in medicine is a fast-evolving field, but is rarely used as a first-option treatment
TRUE or FALSE
TRUE
