NanoMedicine: Fighting Heart Disease

According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), the leading cause of death in the United States is Cardiovascular disease, which claims approximately 611,000 lives per year and includes symptoms like Myocardial infarctions (MI) (Heart attacks) (source). Heart attacks occur when an artery in the heart becomes blocked - often through blood clots that form when atherosclerotic plaque (caused by an unhealthy diet) ruptures - as explained in the Ted-Ed Video here.

How blood pressure works - Wilfred Manzano - Ted-Ed

Due to its high prevalence in advanced countries, much research has been done and many drugs developed to help treat the disease. Nanotechnologies have been developed, at the Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Biomaterials at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, USA, that may  aid in the treatment of this disease by aiding in the delivery of  cardiovascular drugs directly to the atherosclerotic plaque sites. Specifically, they developed  a 'nanodrone' that was able to attach to the plaque and deliver the drug Annexin A1, which resulted in decreased inflammation, decreased plaque size and increased thickness of the collagen layering the plaque (helping prevent plaque rupturing and blood clotting) in mice. The result was that mice that relieved the treatment of the drug did not experience an MI. Moreover, when the same drug was administered without the nanodrone, the treatment was ineffective, as when the nanoparticle was administered without the drug.

A Depiction of the 'Nanodrone'

Clearly, the application of nanotechnologies for delivery of drugs is a serious one that will help make treatments more effective even outside this specific example. It shows that nanotechnology will enhance modern medicine and help improve the quality of human life, which is one of the ultimate goals of technology and medicine. 

To find out more about cardiovascular disease, click here.

To find out more about Myocardial infarction, click here.

To find out more about this nanotechnology, click here.

Graphene: The World's Thinnest Lightbulb

Graphene has long been acclaimed by popular media that covers nanotechnologies because of its ever increasing number of unique properties and applications - including  extraordinary strength and conductibility. Recently, researchers at the Seoul National University, the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, and Columbia University have added to graphene's impressive resume when they developed a light bulb with a graphene filament that was an atom thick.

Previously, extremely small filaments like this were not feasible because the filament would have to be heated to exorbitant temperatures that, even if they didn't melt the filament, would melt the surrounding materials. Graphene, however, offers a solution to this, as it harbors the property of being less conductive of heat the hotter it gets. This thus allows graphene to be heated to temperatures that allow for light to be produced (~2500C), while maintaining the structural integrity of itself (due to its inherent strength) and its surroundings.

Furthermore, graphene - being and incredibly thin substance - is effectively clear, meaning that light can travel through it. The researchers found that (due to this) one is able to alter the wavelength of light emitted by the graphene light by changing the distance between the graphene filament and its silicone substrate, as see in the video here.

The advent of this type of light will advance technology because it is both flexible and small, meaning it will be able to be integrated in flexible technologies and displays, as well as on small chips.

The researchers are currently working on methods for turning the bulb on and off, but perhaps there will soon be a day when graphene will revolutionize the technology of displays! 

Nanotechnology Could Cure Teenage Acne Forever

Acne is a skin infection that occurs when skin pores get congested, often with a naturally occurring, oily lubricant called sebum - created by the sebaceous gland. During adolescence, when the skin in changing, many teenager's sebaceous glands over produce sebum, leading to congestion, infection, and, ultimately, acne.

Diagram of a Normal Follicle

Most modern treatments of acne work by treating the symptoms of the infection or by trying to diminish sebum production chemically. Often times, these drugs also cause unwanted side effects - like skin dryness - or resistance. However, researchers at University of California at Santa Barbra, have developed a possible alternative to current treatments. Rather than a purely symptomatic treatment, they have utilized nanotechnologies to directly destroy the over-productive sebaceous, thus stopping the production of sebum and curing the resulting acne.

More precisely, the drug is a silicon oxide molecule with a gold encasement in the nanosize region. It's size is particularly useful for its delivery as it is able to enter the pores transdermally - that is, without injection or consumption.

The treatment has three phases, illustrated below. The first is to apply the nanoparticle formulation to the skin. The second is to use low-frequency ultrasound to 'push' the nanoparticles into the follicle - this is the delivery system. The last step uses a laser to activate the treatment and effectively cure the acne.

A Diagram of the Phases of the Nanoparticle

The final step works through a process called Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). Illustrated in the diagram, SPRworks when a beam of light is shined at a metal surface and the light resonates with the metal in such a way that a specific wavelength is converted from light energy to mechanical energy or heat - as seen below with the "plasmon wave".

The researchers used this property of metal in their nanoparticle. Once the nanoparticles have entered the follicle (the second phase), a laser (which is a beam of light at a single wavelength) is pointed at the targeted area. Due to the particle being a metal, an SPR effect is created, leading to heat production that deactivates the overactive sebaceous cells.

Diagram of Surface Plasmon Resonance

Although the treatment is not yet in the market, it is currently undergoing clinical studies, where side effects and efficacy are being studied.

It is clear that the work on this drug has not only been useful for the treatment of acne, but has also provided for a new delivery system (via ultrasound) and proves to the world the eminence of nanotechnologies.

To learn more about the treatment, click here.
To learn more about Surface Plasmon Resonance, click here.

Nano3D Printing

3D Printing is a subject that has become of high interest to engineers and stockholders alike. It holds the promise of revolutionizing manufacturing, product development and innovation, the delivery of goods, and, overall, the way we live our lives. Yet, somewhat unbeknownst to the popular audience, the technology is also making strides at the nano-scale.

To begin, 3D printers at the macro scale turn digital blueprints or designs into a reality by breaking apart the 3D design into 2D layers and then stacking these 2D layers on top of each other to make the object.

This can be analogized to the volume (3D) of a cylinder:
It is well known that the formula definite a cylinder's volume is πr^2*h, and if you break this formula down into its component parts, you see that there is πr^2 and the height. Furthermore, the equation implies that you have the area of a circle the height times to get the volume. It's as though you have CD disks - the area being one CD and the height being the number of CDs. The volume of a stack CDs would be the area of one CD times the number of CDs (this works assuming you know the height of a single CD, but in a cylinder, the height of the disk is null, thus we multiply by the height directly, not, say, the number of disks or circles).


Thus, by applying the many near-2D layers, a 3D figure is created. Furthermore, the resolution is dependent on the thickness of each layer. For example, if you have a curve (the red line below) that you are trying to recreate, but can only do so using rectangular bars, you can clearly see that the thinner the bars, the more smooth a curve you can make - the same is true in 3D Printing.

When we move to smaller scales, this resolution becomes a limiting factor, and, as a result, new innovative techniques are required to maintain high resolution and high speeds.

The Vienna University of Technology has created a new method for 3D printing that overcomes some of these limitations called two-photon lithography.
Two-photon lithography is an evolution on [one] photon lithography, which uses the property that some liquids, when exposed to certain photons, solidify. Thus, by accurately firing photons at a liquid sample (often using a laser), one is able to 'carve' a solid. After the solid is carved out, the remaining fluid is simply washed away, leaving behind only the finished product.

Two-photon lithography expands on this by using resin - a viscous fluid - doped with other molecules, which solidifies when two photos hit it at the same time. This means that two different light sources are used and the solid is formed only where those two intersect in the resin. The benefits of this are 3-fold: the precision and resolution are increased (as the area of intersection is so small), the speed is vastly increased (from millimeters per second to five meters per second), and the printing no longer has to occur layer by layer (the photons can intersect anywhere within the resin to make a solid, not just the surface, as in traditional macro-3D printing and single-photon lithography).

Thus, overall, the team created a much faster, versatile, and high-resolution 3D printing method than has existed before. The team exemplified the technology's capability through this video of the creation of a 330 x 130 x 100µm^3 size F1 race car, seen here.

This innovation is a major step forward in nanoscience because of its possible application in cell biology, immunology, nanotechnology-manufacturing, and fields that have not yet even begun to be conceived.

To find out more about two-photon lithography and this team's project, click here
To find out more about 3D printing in general and the various types of 3D printing, click here

Nanotechnology Student Video Project

As Nanotechnology gains momentum, many are starting projects to raise awareness in the general community, not only about the field, but the importance of nanotechnology. The National Nanotechnology Initiative, supported by the government, sought to do this by creating a student video project wherein college age researchers could present their research projects in a way that the general audience could understand and appreciate.

Its first prize winners were Abelardo Colon and Jennifer Gill for their video on the application nanodiamond powder for the purification of water. Their proposal for nanodiamond purification or water was a solution to the chlorination process used today that creates harmful byproducts. Their method was more effecient at killing bacteria, was reusable, and did not cause such harmful byproducts as the methods currently used. (Source)

NanoTechnology World Association

Created recently, the NanoTechnology World Association is a website who's goal is to close the gap between researchers and markets, and increase awareness of Nanotechnologies to accelerate its entrance into the market.

The site analyzes area's of development for nanotechnologies, provides news about nanotechnology and its innovations, and aggregates upcoming worldwide events in nanotechnologies like "Nanotech France 2015".

Though new and still in development, the project will certainly spread knowledge of the field to both markets and consumers.
(Source)

Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine

At the start of this blog, five years ago, nanotechnology was a field that few had heard about but was growing at an astonishing rate. Now, many universities are focusing on nanotechnology and nanoscience, as seen with the construction of new Nano-facilities like Princeton University's Nano-Fabrication Laboratory.

Source

In recognition of the outstanding developments in nanoscience and its importance in medicine and health, a leader in Nano-medicine, NorthWestern University's International Institute for Nanotechnology has created the international "Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine", who's goal it is to "recognizes researchers who have made exceptional advances in nanotechnology and its application in the field of medicine and biology, that have the potential to improve the quality of life for future generations." Due to the generosity of David G. Kabiller, the honor is awarded biennial with a $250,000 prize.

In addition to the "Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine", the same fund also provides for the $10,000 "Kabiller Young Investigator Award in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine", targeted to highly accomplished researchers within 20 years of earning their degree.

The first recipients of the awards will be announced in August of this year in a ceremony that will include prestigious speakers like 2014 Nobel Prize Chemistry winner William E. Moerner.

For More Information: (Source)(Source)