Nanotechnology Based Cancer Treatments
Sarah Caley University of Washington
Applications
Nanotechnology has a huge breadth of applications, encompassing:
Detecting
Targeting
Imaging
Field Effect Transistors
Picture From: Institute of Chemistry http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/
Some Bio Stuff: Antibodies and Antigens
Bio pictures courtesy of Principles of Biochemistry
Antigens Attach to Antibodies:
Antibodies Change Shape When They Bind with Antigens
Detecting: Nano-MOSFET
Metal Oxide Semiconducting Field Effect Transistor Detects protein markers in concentrations of .025 pg/mL Capacitance can be as small as 1/10 pf Cancer cells make different proteins which bind with the antibodies 1 volt changes can be made with small amounts of charge
Picture from: Wolfgang Pauli Institute
0.025 pg/mL
Estimate: h: 10ft / floor plus some, 70 feet
Base: 30ft
Volume: 2,333m3 Convert to Liters: 1m3 = 1,000 L Volume: 2,333,000 Liters Concentration: .025pg/mL = .025ng/L Mass in the physics tower: .06 mg
Some Physics
MOSFETs are used because they have very high input impedence Small amounts of charge can create large voltage drops across the gate C = Q/V
Voltage needed = 1V High performance MOSFETs have capacitances of 0.1pF So, only 0.1 pC of charge are needed
Amount of current that flows is based on whatever rail voltage you set up, and the voltage at the gate. Gate voltage controls the resistance between the source and the drain
Targeting
Nanoparticles can be engineered to do a variety of specific tasks On the inside: payloads of up to 2000 siRNA molecules for a 70nm diameter particle. siRNA= small interfering RNA, it binds to an RNA molecule so it is no longer effective, stops a protein from being made DNA -> RNA -> Protein
Specifics of the Nano-particle
Targeted drugs can be delivered in higher concentrations LHRH: peptide which bonds to the surface of cancer cells. A peptide is a short protein (<20 amino acids) Northeastern University: hollow polymer nanotubes with payloads of Taxol (anti-cancer drug) react with the lower pH of tumors and disburse their payloads.
Imaging: Quantum Dots
onion-like Layers:
Cadmium-tellerium core Cadmium selenium layer Organic shell: water soluble
Absorb and emit infrared light Tumors grow quickly The blood vessels surrounding them are more porous Quantum Dots can be engineered to collect in different types of cancer, or the lymph nodes Problem: often made with cadmium selenide or arsenic, both of which are toxic Work near the skins surface
Quantum dots in a rat shown over a period of 48 hours
Picture from Penn State
MRI Contrast Agents
Brain tumor imaging:
Particles
that fluoresce both during imaging and during the operation Cy5.5CLIO
Polyethylene glycol-coated hexadecylcyanoacrylate nanospheres
Concentration:
11 times higher in the tumor than in surrounding tissue
Gene Therapy
Nano-particles can be built to replace the DNA in cancerous cells with healthy DNA Currently, this is done with viruses Viruses are more expensive, but more effective
Thermal Ablation
Gold particles are used Gold is safe in the body Gold particles are injected into the tumor and then irradiated, heating them, and cooking the tumor Pro: easily targeted to just the tumor Con: Diffusional Instability Research: Rice University: Jennifer West and Naomi Halas
Conclusion
Nanotechnology is very promising Most treatments are in the animal trial phase FDA regulations pose problems because many of the treatments fit into multiple categories
The End
