2. What
is
nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology
is
science,
engineering,
and
technology
conducted
at
the
nanoscale,
which
is
about
1
to
100
nanometers
(10-‐9
to
10-‐7
meters).
To
get
a
clearer
perspective:
• The
diameter
of
an
atom
ranges
from
about
0.1
to
0.5
nanometers.
• A
sheet
of
newspaper
is
about
100,000
nanometers
thick.
• If
a
marble
were
a
nanometer,
one
meter
would
be
the
size
of
the
Earth.
3.
4. The
birth
of
nanotechnology
• Concept
and
ideas
started
on
December,
1959
with
a
talk
entitled
“There’s
Plenty
of
Room
at
the
Bottom”
by
physicist
Richard
Feynman
at
an
American
Physical
Society
meeting
at
the
California
Institute
of
Technology
(CalTech).
• Feynman
described
a
process
in
which
scientists
would
be
able
to
manipulate
and
control
individual
atoms
and
molecules.
• Over
a
decade
later,
in
his
explorations
of
ultraprecision
machining,
Professor
Norio
Taniguchi
coined
the
term
nanotechnology.
• Modern
nanotechnology
began
in
1981,
with
the
development
of
the
scanning
tunneling
microscope
that
could
"see"
individual
atoms.
• However,
MIT
researcher
K.
Eric
Drexler
popularized
the
term
and
the
concept
through
his
publication
“Engines
of
Creation”
in
1986.
5. Nanotechnology
in
medicine
• The
ability
to
manipulate
structures
and
properties
at
the
nanoscale
in
medicine
is
like
having
a
sub-‐microscopic
lab
bench
on
which
you
can
handle
cell
components,
viruses
or
pieces
of
DNA,
using
a
range
of
tiny
tools,
robots
and
tubes.
• Chemists
at
New
York
University
(NYU)
have
created
a
nanoscale
robot
from
DNA
fragments
that
walks
on
two
legs
just
10
nm
long.
• The
genesis
of
nanotechnology
can
be
traced
to
the
promise
of
revolutionary
advances
across
medicine,
communications,
genomics
and
robotics.
6. Creating
nanobots
• The
best
way
to
create
a
nanobot
is
to
use
another
nanobot,
the
problem
lies
in
getting
started.
• In
1989
a
group
of
IBM
engineers
lined
individual
atoms
up
one
by
one
until
they
had
spelled
out
their
company’s
name.
• The
main
difficulty
arises
with
the
fuel
unit,
since
most
conventional
forms
of
robotic
propulsion
can’t
be
shrunk
to
nanoscale
with
current
technology.
Scientists
have
succeeded
in
reducing
a
robot
to
five
or
six
millimeters,
but
this
size
still
technically
qualifies
it
as
a
macro-‐robot.
• Aerodynamic,
durable,
smooth-‐moving.
7. Nanosponges
• A
team
of
researchers
at
the
University
of
California,
San
Diego
led
by
Professor
Liangfang
Zhang,
have
developed
biomimetic
nanosponges
that
could
deal
with
antibiotic-‐resistant
infections.
• Each
nanosponge
is
a
tiny
polymer-‐based
particle
measuring
85nm
across
that's
been
wrapped
in
a
red
blood
cell
membrane.
• A
clinical
trial
on
mice
tested
their
efficacy
against
a
lethal
dose
of
a
bacterial
toxin
from
Methicillin-‐resistant
Staphylococcus
aureus
(MRSA).
The
toxic
proteins
attached
themselves
to
the
nanosponges
and
were
harmlessly
transported
to
the
liver
for
removal.
8. Nanosponges:
Trials
• When
dosed
with
the
nanosponges
before
being
injected
with
the
toxin,
89
percent
of
the
mice
survived.
When
treated
after
being
infected,
44
percent
of
the
mice
lived.
When
dosed
at
exactly
the
same
time,
the
mice
suffered
no
adverse
effects,
even
with
a
70-‐to-‐one
ratio
of
toxin
and
nanosponges.
• The
polymer
used
for
the
nanosponges
has
already
been
approved
by
the
FDA,
and
the
red
blood
cell
membrane
is
taken
from
the
body,
meaning
there
are
no
new
chemical
compounds
to
approve.
9. Advantages
of
nanomedicine
• Site-‐specific,
targeted
drug
delivery
using
nanoparticles
is
more
effective:
improved
bioavailability,
minimal
side
effects,
decreased
toxicity
to
other
organs,
and
less
cost;
feasible
in
hydrophobic
and
hydrophilic
states
through
variable
routes
of
administration,
including
oral,
vascular,
and
inhalation.
(Example
-‐
cancer)
• With
gene
therapy,
a
normal
gene
can
be
inserted
in
place
of
an
abnormal,
disease-‐causing
gene
using
nanoparticles
as
carrier
molecules.
• Open
doors
to
new
possibilities
under
research
10. With
nanomachines,
we
could:
• Better
design
and
synthesize
pharmaceuticals.
• Directly
treat
diseased
cells
like
cancer.
• Better
monitor
the
life
signs
of
a
patient.
• Use
nanomachines
to
make
microscopic
repairs
in
hard-‐to-‐operate-‐on
areas
of
the
body.
• Potentially
eliminate
other
ethical
issues
(e.g.
assembling
beef
instead
of
slaughtering
cows,
constructing
cells
rather
than
getting
them
from
reproduction,
etc...).
• Cleaning
up
toxins
or
oil
spills.
11. Disadvantages
• Problems
could
arise
from
the
inhalation
of
microscopic
particles,
similar
to
inhaling
minute
asbestos
particles.
• The
possible
toxic
health
effects
of
these
NPs
associated
with
human
exposure
are
unknown.
This
means
we
have
an
ethical
duty
to
take
precautionary
measures
regarding
their
use.
• Exposure
to
ultrafine
particles
(UFPs)
can
have
especially
harsh
cardiopulmonary
outcomes.
The
comparability
of
engineered
nanoparticles
to
UFPs
suggests
that
the
human
health
effects
are
likely
to
be
similar.
Therefore,
it
is
prudent
to
elucidate
their
toxicologic
effect
to
minimize
occupational
and
environmental
exposure.
• Nanotoxicology.
Something to think about. “A new technology will only be successful if those
promoting it can show that it is safe, but history is littered with examples of promising
technologies that never fulfilled their true potential and/or caused untold damage
because early warnings about safety problems were ignored. The nanotechnology
community stands to benefit by learning lessons from this history.” - Steffen Foss
Hansen
12. Miniature
robots
that
we
can’t
see,
what
could
possibly
go
wrong?
• Biological
reactions
towards
nanotechnology.
• Potential
attack
of
biological
organisms
at
molecular
levels.
• Miniature
weapons
and
explosives.
• Disassemblers
to
attack
physical
structures.
• Surveillance
• Monitoring
• Tracking
13. The
Grey
Goo
Scenario
• A
hazard
Drexler
already
foresaw
in
Engines
of
Creation,
in
which
he
outlined
the
possibilities
and
consequences
of
this
emerging
field,
would
be
if
general
purpose
disassemblers
got
loose
in
the
environment
and
started
disassembling
every
molecule
they
encountered.
This
is
known
as
"The
Gray
Goo
Scenario."
• Furthermore,
if
nanomachines
were
created
to
be
self
replicating
and
there
were
a
problem
with
their
limiting
mechanism,
they
would
multiply
endlessly
like
viruses.
14. Issues
• How
can
we
establish
agreements
or
conventions
around
so
many
different
fields
of
development?
• Building
principles
around
the
matter.
• Should
there
be
policies
regarding
development?
• Do
we
need
international
laws
that
trace
limits
for
a
safe
development?
• Are
we
interfering
too
much
with
nature?
(Religious/ethical
debate.)
15. What’s
next?
Molecular
nanotechnology.
• Speculative
subfield
of
nanotechnology:
engineering
molecular
assemblers,
machines
which
could
re-‐order
matter
at
a
molecular
or
atomic
scale.
• Still
highly
theoretical:
the
proposed
elements
of
molecular
nanotechnology,
such
as
molecular
assemblers
and
nanorobots
are
far
beyond
current
capabilities.
Is this the future of medicine?
Will we revolutionize the way we cure diseases?
16. Bibliography
Chen,
A.
(n.d.).
The
Ethics
of
Nanotechnology.
Retrieved
March
11,
2014,
from
Santa
Clara
University:
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/
publications/submitted/chen/nanotechnology.html
National
Nanotechnology
Initiative.
(n.d.).
What
is
Nanotechnology?
Retrieved
March
11,
2014,
from
United
States
National
Nanotechnology
Initiative:
http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-‐101/what/definition
Radford,
T.
(2003,
April
29).
Brave
new
world
or
miniature
menace?
Why
Charles
fears
grey
goo
nightmare.
Retrieved
March
11,
2014,
from
The
Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/apr/29/nanotechnology.science
Souppouris,
A.
(2013,
April
15).
Nanosponges
could
soak
up
deadly
infections
like
MRSA
from
your
bloodstream.
Retrieved
March
11,
2014,
from
The
Verge:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/15/4225834/nanosponges-‐kill-‐deadly-‐bacteria-‐mrsa-‐clinical-‐trial
Vallyathan,
M.
R.
(2006,
December).
Nanoparticles:
Health
Effects—Pros
and
Cons.
Retrieved
from
The
National
Center
for
Biotechnology
Information
:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1764161/
Caruthers,
SD.
(2007,
March
16)
Wickline
SA,
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GM.
Nanotechnological
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