NanoTechnology in the
Field of Medicine
By
Suchitha Koneru
Outline
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Introduction
Cell repair Machines
Features
Applications of Cell Repair Machines
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Limits and Feasibility of Cell Repair Machines
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Nano Medicine
Respirocytes
Ongoing Research
Nano Horrors
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Cell Repair Machines
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Medical Nano Robots (Molecular technology and AI)
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Will change medicine at its foundations
A system including nanocomputers and molecular scale sensors
and tools, programmed to repair damage to cells and tissues
A fundamental break through : these machines will free medicine
from the reliance of self repair as the only path to healing
Selective Destruction : example cancerous cells , recognize and
destroy a specific kind of cell
Nature's own cell repair machines are limited in their ability
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Features
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Size
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1 to 100 nm , the actual machine would be 0.5 to 3 microns
Bio Compatibility
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Passive Diamond coating , because of its inert nature , not attacked by
the immune system
Powering
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micron scale robot with nano scale parts , parts would be from
Metabolize local glucose and oxygen for energy
Clinical environment acoustic energy
Communication
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Broadcast acoustic type messages
Device similar to an Ultra Sound Probe
Acoustic sensors
Internal communication network
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Navigation :
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a navigational network with station
keeping navigational elements
providing high positional accuracy
Accurate positions could be
reported to the physician using the
internal communication network
Applications of cell Repair
Machines
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Drug Delivery
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Sophisticated ways
• Target specific ,enable the use of
lower doses of medicine
• Side effects may be minimized
and stronger medicine could be
used
• Trigger based , will release
medicine when needed example
Insulin delivery
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Correcting Genetic Disorders
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Comparing the strand of nucleotides
segment by segment
Changing the nucleotides within a DNA
so that it matches a correct pattern
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Anesthesia plus
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interrupting metabolism of the body for hours, days or years resulting in a
condition of bio statis( a stoppage or stable state)
Bio statis provides deep anesthesia , thereby physicians can work for more time
Used in the case of emergencies
Can be achieved using molecular machines
• Molecular machines injected into the blood stream enter each cell , block the molecular
machinery for metabolism , the water is displaced using other molecular devices
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Reversing bio statis
• When it is time to wake up the patient , the process of resuscitation is started by the
doctor , repair machines remove packing around molecules replace it with water and
unblock the metabolic machinery
• Astronauts as a one way travel
Establishing Health
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State of health is established
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Immune system
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Recognize the differences between the
healthy tissue and the diseased tissue
and rectify those differences
the body’s immune system is limited in
its capabilities
Immune machines :- Medical nano
machines, which could be programmed
to respond to anything encountered by
the world of medicine .
Disease of Aging
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Damaged molecular machinery
Misarranged structures , low enzymes
Limits and Feasibility of Cell Repair
machines
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Developing cell repair machines
requires great effort ,knowledge
and skill, tremendous
development in Artificial
Intelligence
 An exact answer cannot be given
to the question “ when will cell
repair machines be available “
 Loss of information through
obliteration of structure imposes
the most important fundamental
limit to the repair of tissue
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Cell repair
machine
destroying a
cancer cell
NanoMedicine
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Nano medicine is an interdisciplinary field of science , even a simple
project needs contributions from physicists, engineers , material
chemists , biologist and end users such as an orthopedic surgeon
Molecular nano technology and molecular manufacturing are key
enabling technologies
Analyzing and repairing human body just as we repair any other
machine
Applications
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Miniaturizing surgery
Tissue reconstruction
Eliminating all common diseases , all the medical pain and suffering
Respirocyte
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A proposed nano robot , artificial red blood cell
Of the order of 1 micron
Spherical nano robot made of 18 billion atoms
A pressure tank which can be pumped upto 9 billion Oxygen O2 and CO2
molecules
By the virtue of its pressure sensors it releases Oxygen or Carbon Dioxide
The bottom line is that mimics the action of hemoglobin filled red blood cells
and can deliver 236 times more oxygen per unit volume than a natural red
blood cell
Applications
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Treatment of Anemia
Transfusions and perfusions
Fetal and Child Related disorders
On Going Research
Making Tiny Plastic Particles to
deliver Lifesaving Medicine
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Many medications such as therapeutic DNA,
insulin and human growth hormone must
enter the body through painful injections, but
a Johns Hopkins researcher is seeking to
deliver the same treatment without the sting
Justin Hanes an assistant professor at the
Department of Chemical and BioMolecular
Engineering wants to pack the drug into
microscopic plastic spheres which can be
inhaled
new type of porous polymer particles
capable of releasing drugs in an
environment resembling the deep lungs
http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/news/home03/
sep03/hanes.html
DNA Nanotechnology
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Self-Assembly of Metallic Nanoparticles
Arrays by DNA Scaffolding.
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This NSF-funded project is a done under the
supervision of :
• Profs. Richard Kiehl (Electrical Engineering)
• Karin Musier-Forsyth (Chemistry),
• Prof Nadrian Seeman (New York University).
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The objective of this exciting multidisciplinary research project is to use twodimensional DNA crystals as a scaffolding
for the self-assembly of arrays of metallic
nanoparticles for the development of new
electronic devices.
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Chemical Imaging
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University of Michigan
• Raoul Kopelman , Ph.D student
(Department Of Chemistry)
• Optical nano sensors for real time
chemical imaging of cellular membranes
and intracellular processes , these
sensors will monitor pH, calcium ,
magnesium , sodium , potassium ,
chloride , oxygen concentrations within
the cells
Nano Horrors
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Self replicating Nano
Robots
 A threat to the
existence of human
beings
References
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http://www.foresight.org/NanoRev/index.html
 http://www.ornl.gov/doe/doe_nsrc_workshop/talks/4_Schloss.pdf
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http://www.brightsurf.com/news/sept_03/EDU_news_092903_b.php
http://www.pettribune.com/2000/090100/petpost2.html
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(nano technology applied to veterinary medicine )
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/bombay/news3/page4.html
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( for research at National institute of health and other universities)
(medical nano robots)
http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/nanotechAndMedicine.html
http://www.irannano.org/English/publication/Articles/nanomedicine2.htm
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(nano medicine faq)
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http://www.chem.umn.edu/groups/musier-forsyth/dnagold.html
http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/news/home03/sep03/hanes.html
http://www.foresight.org/Nanomedicine/index.html#NMResComOrg
 http://www.foresight.org/Nanomedicine/index.html#PubDate
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(for nano medicine )
Thank You