Nano-Reporters and Nano-Bullets: How Nanotechnology Advances Enable to Probe and Target Human Cellular Structures?
CIC nanoGUNE Seminars
- Speaker
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Yuri Volkov, Institute for Molecular Medicine and CRANN, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- When
-
2010/10/11
13:00 - Place
- nanoGUNE seminar room, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia - San Sebastian
- Add to calendar
- iCal
Nanomedicine as a rapidly expanding area of science provides a unique chance
to exploit the diverse properties of engineered nanomaterials for the ultimate
benefit of the patients. Light-emitting nanoparticles, including fluorescently
doped silica, polystyrene nanoparticles and quantum dots have an outstanding
potential for diagnostic applications and intracellular imaging in biomedical
research. On the other hand, optimistic expectations are associated with the
opportunities of using the nanoparticles as a new class of drug delivery
systems, arising from the fact that the finite, but tunable size of the
engineered nanostructures used as drug delivery vehicles can impose very
precise nano-scale drug distribution barriers at the level of cells, tissues
and entire organism, thereby eliminating undesirable side effects pertinent to
most contemporary medicines. However, there is still very little definitive
systematic information about the consequences of interactions of nano-scale
objects with human cells of diverse origin and therefore safety-related issues
are high on the nanomedical agenda. Phagocytes, epithelium of the lungs and
gastrointestinal tract as well as cells of the cardiovascular system are the
primary candidates to encounter these nanomaterials. We will provide here an
overview of several nanoparticle application scenarios for intracellular
delivery and imaging in different cell types, along with the contemporary
approaches to safety screening of nanomaterials with promising biomedical
application potential.
Supported by the Health Research Board of Ireland, Science Foundation of
Ireland SRC “BioNanoInteractâ€, EU FP-6 STREP “NanoInteract†and EU
FP-7 LSP “Namdiatreamâ€