Week 8 - Nanotechnology and Art

Nanoparticle boxed delivery

As a premed, I am always interested in learning about new medical technologies and what the future of medicine could hold. So of course, I was particularly interested in the new nanomedicine and nanotherapies that Dr. James Gimzewski referred to in the lectures. He spoke of configurable nanoparticles that can change formation or orientation depending on the medium (i.e. the "box particle" that can be closed outside of solution with nanoparticles held within, or opened to release these particles in a particular medium). There is a huge potential to find use for nanoparticles in drug transport and diseased cell locating. Which could make cellular treatment far more effective. These abstract ideas take a certain artistic vision and scientific know-how to come together just right in order to create a marvelous revolution in a given field of study.

Nanodiamond cancer delivery system

I was reminded of Mick Lorusso's work on nanodiamonds, whereby he's looking to do just that; to help create a nanodiamond transport system for certain cancer drugs. These diamonds are selectively permeable across cellular membranes of diseased cells, and congregate at damaged cells to diffuse into the cell and release their effective drugs. It's fascinating to me how something natural that is typically known for its beauty is being used on a microscopic level as a drug transmitter. The list of treatments these types of processes can influence is extensive, and it takes the right kind of collaboration to come up with such a concept. But when brilliant minds can come together, we may soon have these cutting edge treatments and technologies at our fingertips.

Nanoparticle drug delivery particle

Sources

 Gibney, Michael. "Dual-surface Janus Nanoparticle Offers Cancer Diagnosis, Drug Delivery." Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 May 2016.

 Gimzewski, James. "Nanotech Jim Pt5." YouTube. 21 May 2012. Web. 22 May 2016.

 Lorusso, Mick. "NanoDiamonds." Week 2 Honors 177 Seminar. UCLA, Westwood. 07 Apr. 2016. Lecture. 

 

 Mochalin, Vadym N., Olga Shenderova, Dean Ho, and Yury Gogotsi. "The Properties and Applications of Nanodiamonds : ..." Nature Nanotechnology. Macmillan Publishers Limited, 18 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2016

 

 Wang, Brian. "DNA Boxes Could Deliver Drugs." Nanoparticle Drug Delivery. 06 May 2009. Web. 22 May 2016.