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What is Nanotechnology? Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with structures sized between 1 to 100 nanometre in at least one dimension, and involves developing materials or devices possessing at least one dimension within that size. (Wikipedia) Section
Range
Unit
Example
Atomic to cellular
10-15
fm (femto)
Proton, neutron
Atomic to cellular
10-12
pm (pico)
wavelength of gamma rays and X-rays, hydrogen atom
Atomic to cellular
10-9
nm (nano)
DNA helix, virus, proteins, wavelength of optical spectrum
Human scale
10-6
µm (micro)
Bacterium, human cell, human hair
Human scale
10-3
mm (milli)
Insects, plant leaves, small animals
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Nanotechnology Applications: -> Medicine (Diagnostics, Drug delivery, Tissue engineering) -> Environment (Biosensors) -> Consumer goods (food, textiles, household, optics, cosmetics, agrigulture) -> Energy (new materials for energy reduction/increase of efficiency) -> Information and communication (new memory storage, display) -> Heavy Industry (new materials using nanoparticles)
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Nanotechnology Applications:
Nanomedicine: Biosensors for diagnostics (blood glucose, blood alcohol,…) Drug delivery systems (Cancer therapy, vaccines)
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Nanotechnology Applications:
Nanomedicine: Tissue Engineering (skin, bones, liver, Pancreas, bladder, Cornea )
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Nanotechnology Applications:
Nanomedicine: Tissue Engineering (skin, bones, liver, Pancreas, bladder, Cornea )
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Nanotechnology Applications:
Environment:
Biosensors for detection of toxins (pollution) 1. Enzyme based biosensors 2. Whole cell biosensors
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What is Gene Technology? Gene technology is the term given to a range of activities concerned with understanding the expression of genes, taking advantage of natural genetic variation, modifying genes and transferring genes to new hosts Gene technology is a tool that offers enormous benefits for human health, disease prevention, food security and sustainability
-> using and manipulating DNA to make proteins or motify organism (bacteria, fungi, plants or animals) AFM image of DNA
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What is a cell? -> All living organisms are made out of cells -> Cells are the smallest living unit
Yeast - Fungi Bacteria
Human red blood cells
Plant cells
Single cell organisms - multi cell organisms 9
Size of the cells
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Prokaryotic cells: Bacteria
Eukaryotic cells: Fungi (Yeast, mushrooms) Animals Plants
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DNA – DeoxyriboNucleic Acids
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid -> codes for all proteins in the cell -> inherited
RNA: Ribonucleic Acid -> Intermediate in the production of proteins
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DNA and RNA – nucleic acids – Minimal building block
RNA
DNA
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DNA
RNA
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DNA and RNA are Polymers
DNA:
5’-ATG-3’
RNA:
5’-UGC-3’
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DNA -> double stranded (ds) RNA -> single stranded (ss)
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3D structure of DNA
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DNA carries the information of all proteins !!! 18
Cell growth -> cell division
DNA Replication 19
The Central Dogma in Life All proteins in the cell are encoded in the DNA of the cell !!!
DNA
-----------------> Transcription
mRNA
------------------->
Protein
Translation
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Translation from mRNA to Protein: 1 Triplett (codon) -> codes for 1 AA
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What is a gene ?
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When is a gene expressed (-> protein produced) ?
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Methods and applications of gene technology
1. Recombinant protein production -> Enzymes produced for medical applications, biotechnology, food,… (-> Biosensor) 2. Modified Organisms -> plants with altered properties, transgenic fish,…. (-> whole cell biosensor) 3. Study diseases
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How do clone a gene? DNA cut -> many different fragments (whole genome of organism) -> colonies with no insert + Colonies with different inserts -> library !!! Within one colony all cells have the same insert -> clones !!!
Clones -> Cells or organisms with identical DNA
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Gene Library
DNA fragments are part of the genome -> Library of one organism
-> Used to screen for gene of interest
Clones -> genetically identical
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Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 1993 Kary B Mullis received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• •
• •
Specific amplification of DNA Can be used to detect disease or infectious agents, modify genes (mutations,…), screening of libraries, forensic technology, cloning of genes,….. Key technology of gene technology today !!! Golden standard in Diagnosis:
Prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases -> results within 48 hours
Automatic Tuberculosis diagnosis test
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Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
1st Cycle Result after 30 cycles -> just DNA between the primers amplified 28
Genetic Engineering -> Mutagenesis
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Protein Engineering -> Mutagenesis
GFP variants Engineering of a molecular spring (light blue, right). Under tension (lower part of the figure) the spring leads to a change in the regulatory subunit which causes the catalytic subunit (purple, left) to separate, activating the enzyme. (Giovanni Zocchi et al, UCLA) 30
Gene Expression systems -> Recombinant production of Protein Prokaryotic Expression vector: -> Escherichia coli
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Gene Expression systems
Escherichia coli
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Transgenic Animals Production of pharmaceutical proteins -> drugs
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Transgenic versus Cloning Transgenic -> creation of transgenic animal or plant (introduction of foreign gene into organism) -> transgenic organisms produced by introduction of foreign gene into germ line (-> transgenic offspring!!!) -> introduction of gene into somatic cells -> gene therapy
Cloning -> obtaining an organism that is genetically identical to the original organism -> such as Dolly the sheep
-> asexual propagation of plants (taking cuttings) -> natural clones -> twins
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Gene Therapy – gene transfer into somatic stem cells Gene delivery systems:
Viral gene transfer into somatic stem cells -> gene therapy
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DNA Nanostructures
DNA nanoparticles done by scientists at CalTech
Zhang C. et al., Nature 451(7182):1130-4
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DNA Nanostructures
Dietz and coworkers, TU Munich
A rotaxane: The first DNA nano-device with a freely movable ring. Source: Famulok/University of Bonn
Thorsten L. Schmidt and Alexander Heckel, Nano Lett., 2011, 11 (4), pp 1739–1742 Box with a lock by D. Benetsen, iNano (Aarhus Univeristy) 37
DNA Nanostructures
AFM image by L. Gurevich (Aalborg University)
Quatruplex DNA -> Molecular Electronics
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Nanostructures -> Molecular motors
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