Nanomedicine Midterm UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Nanomedicine definition - CORRECT ANSWER - a branch of medicine that applies the
knowledge and tools of nanotechnology to the prevention and treatment of disease
involves the use of nanoscale materials, such as nanoparticles and nanotubes, for tissue
regeneration, drug delivery, diagnosis, gene inteference and editing, etc
Nanomaterials definition - CORRECT ANSWER - -anything with one or more external
dimensions between 1 and 100 nm
-nanomaterials often shift shape when interacting with other small particles
-particles >100nm oftern display nanolike qualities
-some conjugates complex nanoparticles are >100nm
surface area to volume ratio - CORRECT ANSWER - nanomaterials are small in size but
large in surface area
they have a very high surface area to volume ratio
manipulating hydrophilicity - CORRECT ANSWER - one unique property of
nanomaterials is that they can have maniupulated hydrophilicity
they can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic shown by the water contact angle
Paclitaxel (PTX) - CORRECT ANSWER - -nanoparticle formulated as a novel anti cancer
drug
-one of the most effective ever developed
-active against a broad range of cancers: lung, ovarian, breast
-low water solubility so must be mixed in organic chemicals
,metal-on-metal hip implants - CORRECT ANSWER - -medical devices used to restore
mobility and relieve pain associated with arthritis and other hip diseases or injuries
-CoCrMo or cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy
-originally thought to be more durable than ceramic or plastic, but has been shown to deteriorate
faster, expose patients to high levels of metals, and fail at a higher rate
-lots of money in lawsuits, recalls, and settlements
Lecture 1 takeaways - CORRECT ANSWER - -nanomedicine is very powerful, changing
how we study and treat diseases
-nanomaterials can mimic natural tissue structures as well as biomolecules like DNA and
proteins
-knowledge of nanomed is very important as it can determine the success or failure of therapies
costing billions of dollars
why do we need nanoparticles? - CORRECT ANSWER - -delivery to target organ/tissue
-protection
-entering cells
-toxicity
-multiple functions
considerations in design - CORRECT ANSWER - -administration methods
-half-life/stability
-degradation
-toxicity
-characterization and verification
barriers for nanotherapeutic delivery - CORRECT ANSWER - -mononuclear phagocyte
system
-nonspecific distribution
-hemorheological limitations
, -intratumoral pressure
-cell membrane internalization/endosomal escape
-multidrug resistance
enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) - CORRECT ANSWER - means molecules of
certain sizes (usually nanoparticles and macromolecules in nanomaterial sizes) tend to
accumulate in tumor tissue more than they do in normal tissues
causes of EPR - CORRECT ANSWER - -tumor cell growth: aggregates to 150-200um
-need of blood supply: vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for angiogenesis
-abnormal in form and architecture: poorly aligned defective andothelial cells, wide
fenestrations, lacking a smooth muscle later
-lack effective lymphatic drainage (hypertension and low pH)
-inflammation cytokines: NO, TNF-alpha, etc (migration of macrophages)
-secretions of proteinases, such as MMPs (Matrix metalloproteinases)
biological factors impacting EPR - CORRECT ANSWER - -effectiveness of lymphatic
drainage and intratumoral pressure
-tumor size, type, and location (pancreatic cancers have low vascular density, central areas of
liver cancer metastases and other large tumor masses may have central necrosis so they wont
show typical EPR effect)
-extent of macrophage tumor infiltration and the activity of the mononuclear phagocyte system
(MPS)
biochemical/physical factors that increase EPR - CORRECT ANSWER - -NO, TNF-alpha,
bradykini (enlarge blood vessels and lower blood pressure), VEGF, MMPs, hyperthermia
optimizing EPR for designing a nanoparticle - CORRECT ANSWER - -composition and
drug loading
-size
-shape
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Nanomedicine definition - CORRECT ANSWER - a branch of medicine that applies the
knowledge and tools of nanotechnology to the prevention and treatment of disease
involves the use of nanoscale materials, such as nanoparticles and nanotubes, for tissue
regeneration, drug delivery, diagnosis, gene inteference and editing, etc
Nanomaterials definition - CORRECT ANSWER - -anything with one or more external
dimensions between 1 and 100 nm
-nanomaterials often shift shape when interacting with other small particles
-particles >100nm oftern display nanolike qualities
-some conjugates complex nanoparticles are >100nm
surface area to volume ratio - CORRECT ANSWER - nanomaterials are small in size but
large in surface area
they have a very high surface area to volume ratio
manipulating hydrophilicity - CORRECT ANSWER - one unique property of
nanomaterials is that they can have maniupulated hydrophilicity
they can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic shown by the water contact angle
Paclitaxel (PTX) - CORRECT ANSWER - -nanoparticle formulated as a novel anti cancer
drug
-one of the most effective ever developed
-active against a broad range of cancers: lung, ovarian, breast
-low water solubility so must be mixed in organic chemicals
,metal-on-metal hip implants - CORRECT ANSWER - -medical devices used to restore
mobility and relieve pain associated with arthritis and other hip diseases or injuries
-CoCrMo or cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy
-originally thought to be more durable than ceramic or plastic, but has been shown to deteriorate
faster, expose patients to high levels of metals, and fail at a higher rate
-lots of money in lawsuits, recalls, and settlements
Lecture 1 takeaways - CORRECT ANSWER - -nanomedicine is very powerful, changing
how we study and treat diseases
-nanomaterials can mimic natural tissue structures as well as biomolecules like DNA and
proteins
-knowledge of nanomed is very important as it can determine the success or failure of therapies
costing billions of dollars
why do we need nanoparticles? - CORRECT ANSWER - -delivery to target organ/tissue
-protection
-entering cells
-toxicity
-multiple functions
considerations in design - CORRECT ANSWER - -administration methods
-half-life/stability
-degradation
-toxicity
-characterization and verification
barriers for nanotherapeutic delivery - CORRECT ANSWER - -mononuclear phagocyte
system
-nonspecific distribution
-hemorheological limitations
, -intratumoral pressure
-cell membrane internalization/endosomal escape
-multidrug resistance
enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) - CORRECT ANSWER - means molecules of
certain sizes (usually nanoparticles and macromolecules in nanomaterial sizes) tend to
accumulate in tumor tissue more than they do in normal tissues
causes of EPR - CORRECT ANSWER - -tumor cell growth: aggregates to 150-200um
-need of blood supply: vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for angiogenesis
-abnormal in form and architecture: poorly aligned defective andothelial cells, wide
fenestrations, lacking a smooth muscle later
-lack effective lymphatic drainage (hypertension and low pH)
-inflammation cytokines: NO, TNF-alpha, etc (migration of macrophages)
-secretions of proteinases, such as MMPs (Matrix metalloproteinases)
biological factors impacting EPR - CORRECT ANSWER - -effectiveness of lymphatic
drainage and intratumoral pressure
-tumor size, type, and location (pancreatic cancers have low vascular density, central areas of
liver cancer metastases and other large tumor masses may have central necrosis so they wont
show typical EPR effect)
-extent of macrophage tumor infiltration and the activity of the mononuclear phagocyte system
(MPS)
biochemical/physical factors that increase EPR - CORRECT ANSWER - -NO, TNF-alpha,
bradykini (enlarge blood vessels and lower blood pressure), VEGF, MMPs, hyperthermia
optimizing EPR for designing a nanoparticle - CORRECT ANSWER - -composition and
drug loading
-size
-shape
