Nanomedicine Exam 3 QUESTIONS AND ASNWERS
YEAR 2025.
How nanotechnology might improve surgery? Describe the two main ways (direct vs
indirect) - ✅✅*Direct*
-Better bandage promotes powerful healing
-Hemostatic nanoparticles
-Nano-endoscopy
-Nanocoated surgical blades
*Indirect*
-Preventing post-surgery complications
Explain the concept of "single cell endoscopy", and a potential application. -
✅✅Probes accurately inserted into a live cell, allowing intracellular analysis.
-Zhang et al. fabricated a nanodevice by assembling single nanoporous gold nanowire
(PGNW) on the tip of a tungsten needle + NPs to sense different cell types
-Application: sensing biomarkers for diseases and eliminate damaged cells at early
state
What are the advantages of performing nanocoating (i.e., nanodiamonds) on surgical
blades? - ✅✅-Performance of surgical blades can be enhanced significantly when
hard metal is coated with diamond (micro- or nano- structures)
-Nanocoating of surgical tools with layers of diamonds would allow cutting edge
diameter in the region of 5nm-1um
-In addition, diamond has a low friction coefficient, decreasing the penetration force
necessary
What are postsurgical adhesions? - ✅✅-Peritoneal adhesions are mostly induced by
surgical procedures in the peritoneal cavity or pelvic area
-Adhesions are basically a film of connective tissue (fibrous bridge) containing blood
vessels and nerve tissue that connect two organs
-Prevalence after major surgery procedures 63% to 97%
*Symptoms can appear after years*
-Bowel obstruction
-Abdominal pain
-Infertility
Describe current treatments used to avoid postsurgical adhesions. - ✅✅*Current
solutions*: incorporations of hydrogels (hydrogel: water-swollen, and cross-linked
polymeric network)
-However, the majority failed in addressing the pathogenesis. Adhesions were formed
with the hydrogel.
, -Physical barriers, which can separate the injured regions during peritoneal healing are
often made of polysaccharides or hydrogels.
-Both systems are rapidly cleared
-Some polymers also triggered adhesions
Explain how HS containing PLGA nanoparticles could help in the prevention of
postsurgical adhesions. - ✅✅-Kohane and co-workers designed a composite
hydrogel system, with entrapped poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) PLGA nanoparticles
-Gel made of modified hyaluronic acid (HA). HA is biocompatible.
-The hydrogel retained the nanoparticles while acting as a barrier device and it also
prevents the retained polymer from causing adhesions.
What is PLGA? - ✅✅-PLGA is highly biocompatible and biodegradable
-Currently approved by the FDA as material for controlled release drug delivery
systems: subcutaneously injectable microspheres for hormone
-Polymeric matrix prevents degradation of the drugs
-Usually nanospheres are neutral or with low zeta potentials
-Provided neutral overall charge to hydrogels
What is hyaluronic acid? - ✅✅an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed
widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues
What type of experiments support the theory that HS containing nanoparticles can
actually prevent postsurgical adhesions? - ✅✅*Figure 1* (Kohane) SEM pictures of
(A) PLGA nanoparticles, (B) lyophilized hybrid gel, and (C) lyophilized HAX gel. Not the
roughness of hybrid gel surface (B inset). Scale bar = (A) 100 nm (B) 10 um, and (C) 10
um.
*Figure 2* (Kohane) (A) Hybrid gel applied on the injured abdominal wall and cecum.
Arrows indicate hybrid gels adherent to the applied sites. (B) No adhesion observed in
an animal treated with hybrid gel. AW, abdominal wall.
-Cecum: absorb fluids and salts that remain after digestion
Nanotechnology in Cardiology - ✅✅-Heart attack, blood flow decreases or stops to a
part of the hear, causing damage to the heart muscle
-Myocardial infarction causes severe damage to heart muscle
-Strategies for cardiac repair include injection of embryonic stem cells
Mention limitations of cell therapies for myocardial infarction. - ✅✅-Poor cell
engraftment
-Short survival
-Poor differentiation
What is IFG-1 and what would be the role of this growth factor after embryonic stem cell
transplantation. - ✅✅-Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), is a human protein encoded
YEAR 2025.
How nanotechnology might improve surgery? Describe the two main ways (direct vs
indirect) - ✅✅*Direct*
-Better bandage promotes powerful healing
-Hemostatic nanoparticles
-Nano-endoscopy
-Nanocoated surgical blades
*Indirect*
-Preventing post-surgery complications
Explain the concept of "single cell endoscopy", and a potential application. -
✅✅Probes accurately inserted into a live cell, allowing intracellular analysis.
-Zhang et al. fabricated a nanodevice by assembling single nanoporous gold nanowire
(PGNW) on the tip of a tungsten needle + NPs to sense different cell types
-Application: sensing biomarkers for diseases and eliminate damaged cells at early
state
What are the advantages of performing nanocoating (i.e., nanodiamonds) on surgical
blades? - ✅✅-Performance of surgical blades can be enhanced significantly when
hard metal is coated with diamond (micro- or nano- structures)
-Nanocoating of surgical tools with layers of diamonds would allow cutting edge
diameter in the region of 5nm-1um
-In addition, diamond has a low friction coefficient, decreasing the penetration force
necessary
What are postsurgical adhesions? - ✅✅-Peritoneal adhesions are mostly induced by
surgical procedures in the peritoneal cavity or pelvic area
-Adhesions are basically a film of connective tissue (fibrous bridge) containing blood
vessels and nerve tissue that connect two organs
-Prevalence after major surgery procedures 63% to 97%
*Symptoms can appear after years*
-Bowel obstruction
-Abdominal pain
-Infertility
Describe current treatments used to avoid postsurgical adhesions. - ✅✅*Current
solutions*: incorporations of hydrogels (hydrogel: water-swollen, and cross-linked
polymeric network)
-However, the majority failed in addressing the pathogenesis. Adhesions were formed
with the hydrogel.
, -Physical barriers, which can separate the injured regions during peritoneal healing are
often made of polysaccharides or hydrogels.
-Both systems are rapidly cleared
-Some polymers also triggered adhesions
Explain how HS containing PLGA nanoparticles could help in the prevention of
postsurgical adhesions. - ✅✅-Kohane and co-workers designed a composite
hydrogel system, with entrapped poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) PLGA nanoparticles
-Gel made of modified hyaluronic acid (HA). HA is biocompatible.
-The hydrogel retained the nanoparticles while acting as a barrier device and it also
prevents the retained polymer from causing adhesions.
What is PLGA? - ✅✅-PLGA is highly biocompatible and biodegradable
-Currently approved by the FDA as material for controlled release drug delivery
systems: subcutaneously injectable microspheres for hormone
-Polymeric matrix prevents degradation of the drugs
-Usually nanospheres are neutral or with low zeta potentials
-Provided neutral overall charge to hydrogels
What is hyaluronic acid? - ✅✅an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed
widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues
What type of experiments support the theory that HS containing nanoparticles can
actually prevent postsurgical adhesions? - ✅✅*Figure 1* (Kohane) SEM pictures of
(A) PLGA nanoparticles, (B) lyophilized hybrid gel, and (C) lyophilized HAX gel. Not the
roughness of hybrid gel surface (B inset). Scale bar = (A) 100 nm (B) 10 um, and (C) 10
um.
*Figure 2* (Kohane) (A) Hybrid gel applied on the injured abdominal wall and cecum.
Arrows indicate hybrid gels adherent to the applied sites. (B) No adhesion observed in
an animal treated with hybrid gel. AW, abdominal wall.
-Cecum: absorb fluids and salts that remain after digestion
Nanotechnology in Cardiology - ✅✅-Heart attack, blood flow decreases or stops to a
part of the hear, causing damage to the heart muscle
-Myocardial infarction causes severe damage to heart muscle
-Strategies for cardiac repair include injection of embryonic stem cells
Mention limitations of cell therapies for myocardial infarction. - ✅✅-Poor cell
engraftment
-Short survival
-Poor differentiation
What is IFG-1 and what would be the role of this growth factor after embryonic stem cell
transplantation. - ✅✅-Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), is a human protein encoded
