Nanotechnology Muhammad Awais Afzal 12-10463 Medical Biotech

Nanotechnology
Muhammad Awais Afzal
12-10463
Medical Biotech
What is Nanotechnology
• The prefix “nano”is a Greek word for “dwarf”
• One nanometer (nm) is equal to one-billionth
of a meter
• About a width of 6 carbon atoms or 10 water
molecules
• A human hair is approximately 80,000 nm
wide
• Red blood cells is 7000 nm wide
• Atoms are smaller than 1 nanometer
• Molecules and some proteins are between 1
nm and above
• Intentional design, characterization,
production and application of materials,
structures, devices and systems by controlling
their size, and shape in the nano-scale range
(10 - 100nm)
• Production of matter at the nano scale in
order to create materials, devices and systems
with fundamentally new properties and
functions
Properties
• Two nanoparticles of different size, both made
of pure gold, can exhibit
– different melting temperature
– different electrical conductivity
– different color
Nanotechnology
New way to control the properties of materials
Change size…..instead of changing composition
Nanomedicine
• Research on
biosystems at the
nanoscale has
created one of the
most dynamic
science and
technology domains
at the confluence of
physical sciences,
molecular
engineering, biology,
biotechnology, and
medicine
Nanomedicine
•Most the diseases originate from alterations in
biological process at the molecular or nano-scale
levels
•Mutated genes, mis-folded proteins and infections
caused by viruses or bacteria lead to cell malfunction
or miscommunication, sometimes leading to lifethreatening diseases. These molecules and infectious
materials are nanometer in size and may be located
in biological systems that are protected by
nanometer size barriers such as nuclear pores 9nm in
diameter
Nanomedicine
• The field of nanomedicine aims to use the
properties and physical characteristics of
nanomaterials for the diagnosis and treatment
of diseases at molecular levels
• Because nanomaterials are similar in scale to
biologic molecules and systems yet can be
engineered to have various functions,
nanotechnology is potentially useful for
medical applications
Nanomaterials
• The surface of nano-materials is usually
coated with polymers of bio-recognition
molecules for improved biocompatibility and
selective targeting of biologic molecules
Application of Nanotechnology
in Medicine
Diagnostic
- Imaging
- Quantum dots
- Microscopic
sampling
- Detection of
airway
abnormalities
Therapeutic
-Delivering
medication to the
exact location
-Killing of bacteria,
viruses & cancer cells
-Repair of damaged
tissues
-Oxygen transport
-Skin and dental care
-Augmentation of
immune system
-Treatment of
Atherosclerosis
Diagnostic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
• Improved imaging of the human (or any) body
• Nanoprobes (miniature machines) can attach
themselves to particles in the body (e.g.,
antibodies) and emit a magnetic field.
• Probes that aren’t attached to anything don’t
create a detectable magnetic
• Nano-tracking may be able to detect tumors
that are a few cells in size
Diagnostic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
• Another way to use nanotech as tracking
devices is to use “quantum dots”
• These tiny semiconductors are able to emit
wavelengths of light (colors) that depend on
their size. If quantum dot A is twice as big as
quantum dot B, it will emit a different color.
• Quantum dots are better than conventional
dyes:
– They last much longer
– More colors can be made available.
• “A microscopic
machine roaming
through the
bloodstream,
injecting or taking
samples for
identification and
determining the
concentrations of
different
compounds"
Therapeutic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
• Nanotech is capable of delivering
medication to the exact location where
they are needed – hence lesser side
effects
–Organic dendrimers - a type of artificial
molecule roughly the size of a proteinwould be ideal for the job of delivering
medicine
Therapeutic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
• Destruction of harmful eukaryotic
organisms / cancer cells by interrupting
their division process
–Certain proteins are capable of doing
this (e.g., Bc12 family of proteins)
Therapeutic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
• Nanoprobe can be made to generate
radiation, that could kill bacteria, viruses and
cancer cells
• Nanoprobe comprising of a single caged
actinium-225 atom would detect (using
antibodies) and enter a cancerous cell
• Location and destruction of cancer cells by
acoustic signals
Cancer cell
Lethal holes
A CYTOTOXIC
T CELL
DESTROYING A
CANCER CELL
Cytotoxic T cell
Therapeutic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
• Nanotechnology also theoretically allows the
mimicking of natural biological processes e.g.,
repair of damaged tissues
– Using nanotech to build scaffoldings of
artificial molecules that bone cells often
adhere to and grow bones on
– Broken bones would heal much faster.
• Transport of oxygen within the body by
creating an artificial red blood cell
Therapeutic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
To cure skin diseases, a cream containing
nanorobots may be used it may:
- Remove the right amount of dead skin
- Remove excess oils
- Add missing oils
- Apply the right amounts of natural
moisturising compounds
- Achieve the elusive goal of 'deep pore
cleaning' by actually reaching down into pores
and cleaning them out.
Therapeutic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
A mouthwash full of smart
nanomachines could identify and
destroy pathogenic bacteria while
allowing the harmless flora of the
mouth to flourish in a healthy
ecosystem
Dental
Robots
Four remote-controlled nanorobots examine and clean
the subocclusal surfaces of a patient's teeth, near the
gumline.
Therapeutic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
Medical
nanodevices
could augment
the immune
system by finding
and disabling
unwanted
bacteria and
viruses.
Virus Finder
Therapeutic Applications of
Nanotechnology in Medicine
Devices working in the bloodstream could
nibble away at atherosclerotic deposits,
widening the affected blood vessels.
This would prevent most heart attacks
A NANOROBOT NIBBLING ON AN ATHEROSCLEROTIC DEPOSIT IN A BLOOD VESSEL
NANOTECHNOLOGY
• GOALS
• Construction of a nano-assembler
– A machine capable of building nanoprobes on a
grand scale
• The next step would be self-replication of
nanoprobes- mitosis
• Rough estimates say that this will be reached
in about 10-20 years
But
There are many risks
too
Nanotoxicity
Nanotoxicology is the study of the
toxicity of nanomaterials
Nanomaterials, even when made of inert
elements like gold, become highly active at
nanometer dimensions
For example: Diesel nanoparticles have
been found to damage the cardiovascular
system in a mouse model
(http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washington
story&sid=aBt.yLf.YfOo)
• Andrew Maynard (Nanotechnology: A Research Strategy for
Addressing Risks. p. 310.)
 Reports that ‘certain nanoparticles may move
easily into sensitive lung tissues after inhalation,
and cause damage that can lead to chronic
breathing problems
• The behavior of nanoparticles is a function of
their size, shape and surface reactivity with the
surrounding tissue
• In principle, a large number of particles could
overload the body's phagocytes that lead to
inflammation and weaken the body’s defense
against other pathogens
• what happens if non-degradable or slowly
degradable nanoparticles accumulate in bodily
organs
• Because of their large surface area,
nanoparticles will , immediately adsorb onto
their surface some of the macromolecules
they encounter thus affecting the regulatory
mechanisms of enzymes and other protein
• They can have access to blood stream via
inhalation, ingestion and even some
nanoparticles can penetrate into the skin
• Nanomaterials have proved toxic to human
tissue and cell cultures, resulting in increased
oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokine
production and cell death (Oberdörster,
Günter; et al. (2005).
• Can cause DNA mutation and induce major
structural damage to mitochondria, even
resulting in cell death (Geiser, Marianne; et al.
(November 2005)
Thank You