Applications of Nanotechnology. Since the 1980's electronics has been a leading commercial driver for nanotechnology R&D, but other areas (materials,

Applications of Nanotechnology

Since the 1980's electronics has been a leading commercial driver for nanotechnology R&D, but other areas (materials, biotech, energy, and others) are of significant and growing importance.

Some applications of nanotechnology has been around for a very long time already:• Stained glass windows (Venice, Italy) - gold nanoparticles• Photographic film - silver nanoparticles• Tires - carbon black nanoparticles• Catalytic converters - nanoscale coatings of platinum and palladium

Applications of Nanotechnology

Challenges facing society

• Water• Energy• Health• Sustainable development• Environment• Knowledge• Economy

These are challenges that require interdisciplinary collaborations to solve!

10 GB2001

20 GB2002

40 GB2004

80 GB2006

160 GB2007

First, One Example: iPod Data Storage Capacity

Hard driveMagnetic data storage

Uses nanotechnology!

Magnetic Data StorageA computer hard drive stores your data magnetically

Disk

N S

direction of disk motion

“ Write”Head

0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 _ _

“ Bits” ofinformation

NS

“ Read”Head

Signalcurrent

magnets

Solar Cells

Konarka

Benefit: Sun is an unlimited source of electronic energy.

Electric Solar Cellsp-n junction interface

cross-sectional view

n-type silicon

p-type silicon

+

-

Sunlight

Voltage “load”

CurrentThe electric power produced is proportional to the area of the solar cell

- - - -- - - - + + + ++ + + + 0.5 Volt

Nanostructured Solar Cells

+

-

Sunlight

Voltage “load”

CurrentMore interface area - More power!

Nanomedicine: Tumor-targeted Cancer Therapy

C&EN News June 4, 2012

C&EN News June 4, 2012

Nanospectra Biosciences

Goals of Nanomedicine

• End goal of nanomedicine is improved diagnostics, treatment and prevention of disease

•For a great review see http://www.wtec.org/nano2/Nanotechnology_Research_Directions_to_2020/

Importance of Nanotechnology to Medicine

• Nanotechnology holds key to a number of recent and future breakthroughs in medicine

Targeted Delivery to Tumors

• Goal is to inject treatment far from tumor and have large accumulation in tumor and minimal accumulation in normal cells/organs.

Cancer Treatments

• Tumor penetration is a key issue for successful chemotherapy

Nanoparticle use in Cancer Treatments

• Because of their small size, nanoparticles can pass through interstitial spaces between necrotic and quiescent cells.

• Tumor cells typically have larger interstitial spaces than healthy cells

• Particles collect in center bringing therapeutics to kill the tumor from inside out.

Nanoparticles as Sensors and Therapeutics

• Glutathione (GSH) provides a selective and tunable release mechanism

• Once inside cells, fluorophores and drugs selectively dissociate

Nanoparticle Targeting and Accumulation

• To maximize their effectiveness, the microenvironment of the tumor must be quantified and vectors developed to specifically target the tumor.

• These treatment approaches have shown great promise in mice.

0

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

Tumor Liver Spleen Lungs Heart SkinAcc

umul

atio

n (C

FU

/mg)

NecroticQuiescentProliferating

Therapeutic

First Successful Nanomedicine - Abraxane

Another Successful Nanomedicine – Doxil (2010)

• Doxil is doxorubicin hydrochloride encapsulated in a STEALTH® liposome used to treat Kaposi’s sarcoma (common in HIV patients)

• Doxorubicin is an anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor

• The liposomes are 100nm vesicles composed of a phospholipid bilayer that can fully encapsulate the drug

• Right size to enter tumor, but not healthy cells

• STEALTH have a half-life of 55 hours in humans meaning they survive long enough to penetrate tumors

• Many other liposome encapsulated drugs like Myocet on the way