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Frontiers of Engineering Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2006 Symposium (2007) / Chapter Skim
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Commercialization and Future Developments in Bionanotechnology
Pages 73-80

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From page 73...
... An enzyme represents a nearly perfect robot, stamping out molecular patterns from unique templates designed to execute individual tasks with nearly perfect efficiency. Evolution has driven these efficient designs to enable life forms to thrive in harsh environments.
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From page 74...
... In reality, designing targeting molecules that are selective for diseased tissues and capable of delivering cargoes larger than a typical antibody has proven extraordinarily difficult, and molecular targeting of nanoscale devices greater than 5 nm outside the vascular space may prove to be prohibitively difficult. However, with no guiding principles for the effective biological direction of nonbiological molecules, this is still an open question.
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From page 75...
... SUPERPARAMAGNETIC IRON OXIDE PARTICLES A second, more recognizable example of bionanotechnology in clinical use is Ferridex and Combidex superparamagnetic particles, marketed by Advanced Magnetics, which are being commercialized for enhancing MRI signals (Figure 2)
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From page 76...
... Although these particles dramatically increase experimental information and sensitivity, the clinical community has been slow to adopt them because of subtle protocol differences between these materials and the typical fluorescent dyes and enzymatic methods used in detection. Many of the protocol differences are thought to arise from distinct size differences between typical probes and nanotechnology-based probes.
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From page 77...
... was exceptionally dangerous; procedures involved pyrophoric precursors, flammable solvents, and rapid additions and releases of explosive gases. To develop safe, scalable procedures, our scientists had to develop innovative techniques in all aspects of nanoparticle chemistry.
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From page 78...
... Micro-rheology techniques might be valuable in addressing this issue. The final example, quantum dots, an entirely engineered material, presents many characterization challenges.
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From page 79...
... scales, but the characterization tools designed for molecules do not work effectively for bionanotechnology systems. Clearly, the device characterization methods (typically single "device" characterization on enough devices to ensure a reliable measurement of production-run statistics)
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From page 80...
... 1998. Quantum dot bioconjugates for ultrasensitive nonisotopic detec tion.
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Key Terms

  • prodrug therapy
  • superparamagnetic iron
  • iron oxide
  • enzyme prodrug
  • biological detection

  • quantum dot
  • protocol differences
  • active state
  • clinical trial
  • device characterization

  • characterization methods
  • nearly perfect
  • scientific investigation
  • combidex agent
  • oxide particles

  • active drug
  • target site
  • targeting molecules
  • biological function
  • biological applications

  • existing biological
  • biological behavior
  • fluorescent quantum
  • biological targeting
  • biological contact

  • biological direction
  • fluorescent biological
  • biological performance
  • effective biological
  • normal biological


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