In this essay we will discuss about Nano-Biotechnology. After reading this essay you will learn about: 1. Introduction to Nano-Biotechnology 2. Nano-Bio Interface 3. Current Status and Future Trends 4. Expectations 5. Scope and Potential of Nano-Biotechnology in Crop Improvement 6. Conclusion.

Contents:

  1. Essay on the Introduction to Nano-Biotechnology
  2. Essay on the Nano-Bio Interface
  3. Essay on the Current Status and Future Trends of Nano-Biotechnology
  4. Essay on the Expectations from Nano-Biotechnology in Future
  5. Essay on the Scope and Potential of Nano-Biotechnology in Crop Improvement
  6. Essay on the Conclusion to Nano-Biotechnology

Essay # 1. Introduction to Nano-Biotechnology:

Nano-biotechnology is a rapidly advancing area of scientific and technological opportunity that applies the tools and processes of Nano or micro fabrication to build devices for studying bio-systems. This particular discipline refers to the blending or intersection of nanotechnology with biology.

Nano-biotechnology is often used to describe the overlapping multidisciplinary activities associated with bio-sensors, particularly photonics, chemistry, biology, bio­physics, Nano-medicine, and engineering converge. Most of the scientific concepts in bio-nanotechnology are derived from other fields.

Nano-biotechnology takes most of its fundamentals from nanotechnology. Most of the devices designed for Nano-biotechnological use are directly based on other existing nanotechnologies. The most important objec­tives that are frequently found in Nano-biology involve applying Nano tools to relevant medi­cal/biological problems and refining these ap­plications.

The difference between “Nano-biology” to “Nano-biotechnology” resides in the technology part of the term.

Anything that is “man-made” falls into the technology section of Nano-biotechnology. Nearly any molecular machinery that we can think of has its analog in biological systems and as for now, it appears that the first revolutionary application of Nano- biotechnology will probably be in computer science and medicine.

As with nanotechnology and biotechnology, bio-nanotechnology has many potential ethical issues associated with it. Yet this innovative approach to biology allows scientists to imagine and create systems that can be used for extensive biological researches. Hence, biologically inspired nanotechnology uses biological systems as the inspirations for technologies not yet created.

Nano-Biotechnology a Multidisciplinary Integration

Essay # 2. Nano-Bio Interface:

Bio systems are governed by Nano scale pro­cesses and structures that have evolved from millions of years. Biologists have been operat­ing for many years at the molecular level rang­ing nanometers (e.g., DNA, RNA) to micro-meters (e.g., Cells). A typical protein like haemo­globin has a diameter of about 5 nm, the DNA’s double helix is about 2 nm wide, and a mito­chondrion ranges a few hundred nanometers.

Therefore, the study of any subcellular struc­ture including DNA, proteins, RNA, etc. can be considered as “Nano biology.” It must be noted that the living cell along with its hun­dreds of Nano machines (e.g., Ribosomes ) is con­sidered to be the ultimate natural Nano scale fabrication system.

In future countless unan­swered questions in biology can be addressed in new ways by exploiting the rapidly growing capabilities of Nano technological research ap­proaches and tools. This research will form and shape the foundation for our understanding of how biological systems operate.

Essay # 3. Current Status and Future Trends of Nano-Biotechnology:

Nano-biotechnology is still in the early stages of development; however, its development is multidirectional and fast-paced. Nano-biotech­nology research centres are being founded and funded at a high frequency, and the numbers of papers and patent applications is also ris­ing rapidly.

In addition, the Nano-biotechnology “tool box” is being rapidly filled with new and viable tools for bio-Nano manipulations that will speed up new applications. Finally, an analysis of the total investment in Nano-bio­technology start-ups reveals that nearly 50% of the venture capital investments in nanotechnology is addressed to Nano-biotech­nology.

One of the strongest driving forces in this research area is the semiconductor indus­try. Computer chips are rapidly shrinking ac­cording to Moore’s law, i.e., by a factor of four every 3 yr. However, this simple shrinking law cannot continue for much longer, and computer scientists are, therefore, looking for the new ones.

One approach is moving to single-mole­cule transistors. This shift is critically depen­dent on molecular Nano manipulations to form molecular computation that will write, process, store, and read information within the single molecule where proteins and DNA are some of the alternatives.

As medical research and diagnostics steadily progresses based on the use of molecular biomarkers and specific thera­pies aimed at molecular markers and multi­plexed analysis, the necessity for molecular- level devices increases. Technology platforms that are reliable, rapid, low-cost, portable, and that can handle large quantities are evolving and will provide the future foundation for per­sonalized medicine.

These new technologies are especially important in cases of early de­tection, such as in cancer. Future applications of Nano-biotechnology will probably include Nano-sized devices and sensors that will be in­jected into, or ingested by, our bodies.

These instruments could be used as indicators for the transmission of information outside our bo­dies or they could actively perform repairs or maintenance. Nanotechnology-based plat­forms will secure the future realization of multiple goals in biomarker analysis.

Ex­amples for such platforms are the use of can­tilevers, Nano mechanical systems (NEMS), Nano electronics (biologically gated nanowire), and nanoparticle in diagnostics imaging and therapy.

The art of Nano manipulating materi­als and bio systems is converging with infor­mation technology, medicine, and computer sciences to create entirely new science and technology platforms. These technologies will include imaging diagnostics, genome pharma­ceutics, bio systems on a chip, regenerative medicine, on-line multiplexed diagnostics, and food systems.

It is clear that biology has much to offer the physical world in demonstrating how to recognize, organize, functionalize, and assemble new materials and devices. In fact, almost any device, tool, or active system known today can be either mimicked by biological sys­tems or constructed using techniques originat­ing in the bio-world.

Therefore, it is plausible that in the future, biological systems will be used as building blocks for the construction of the material and mechanical fabric of our daily lives.

Essay # 4. Expectations from Nano-Biotechnology in Future:

Potential benefits of using Nano-objects (nanotubes, quantum dots, Nano rods and Nano prisms) and Nano devices (Nano capacitors, Nano pores and Nano cantilevers) leading to an expanded range of label multiplexing are de­scribed along with potential applications in future diagnostics and management of vari­ous diseases.

It also speculates on further path­ways in nanotechnology development and the emergence of order in this somewhat chaotic, yet promising, new field. For integration and establishment of a healthy society there are a lot of expectations from Nano-biotechnology to create tremendous expansion in the available technologies.

Cell Chip Applicable to Compound Profiling:

1. Importance of Compound Analysis:

Today, we can find a wide variety of dif­ferent types of chemical compounds such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food additives being used in all aspects of our everyday life. However, not all compounds have been thoroughly examined for their physiological action.

If the biological effects of thalidomide, an antiepileptic drug no­torious for its harmful effect, had been fully analysed, the drug would not have caused severe malformations in infants born of mothers who had taken the drug during early pregnancy. It also might have been possible to predict at the first stage the usefulness of thalidomide in treating Hansen’s disease and myeloma, which was found later.

2. Development of a Profiling Tool:

The Cell Informatics Research Group devel­oped some devices using cells of human ori­gin designed for fast and detailed com­pound profiling (feature analysis) as a tool to support the search for new uses of com­pounds.

One of these devices is a transfection microarray in searching for a combi­nation of RNA interfering agents (for ex­ample, siRNA) that have similar action to, work together with, or interfere with a cer­tain compound. This device can be used to search for such a combination of RNA-interfering agents targeting the entire hu­man gene and thereby identify the target of that compound.

Thus, it becomes pos­sible to predict a compound that has simi­lar or collaborative effects. In addition, an enzyme microarray allows researchers to accelerate the search for a compound that specifically inhibits the combination of cer­tain enzymes.

Stress Measurement Chip: Aiming at Mental Disease Prevention:

1. Development of a Saliva Stress Mea­surement Lab-on-a-Chip Device:

Secre­tory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA), Cortisol, and other such substances in saliva that are responsible for the biological defense function, act as stress markers and thereby develop a prototype of an electrophoretic Lab-on-a-Chip device and simultaneously conduct a basic research on a centrifugal Lab-on-a-Disk device.

2. Development of a Saliva NO Assay Lab-on-a-Chip Device:

Nitrogen monox­ide (NO), which is also responsible for the biological defense function can also be uti­lized as an oxidative stress marker, and developed Lab-on-a-Chip technology for rapid assay of salivary NO metabolites. The results of the on-going research activi­ties thus related are very encouraging.

Disease Marker Sensor for Diagnosis, Prognosis and Prediction of Heart Diseases using Self-assembled Monolayers:

1. Disease Diagnosis by Heart Hormone:

A heart hormone called B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), which is biosynthesized and secreted in cardiac muscle cells, is ex­pected to have a significant beneficial ef­fect on the diagnosis, prediction, and prog­nosis of heart disease.

However, because its concentration in blood is extremely low with about 10 pg/mL (3 pM) in healthy people, conventional immune-chromatography is so low in sensitivity that radio­immunoassay or a large measuring appa­ratus such as a fluorescence detection sys­tem must be employed.

Hence, a highly-sensitive sensing method is required that can even measure a sample with extremely low concentrations using a small, easy-to- use device in order to measure disease markers quickly on-site for diseases re­quiring urgent treatment such as heart disease.

2. Development of New Heart Disease Markers:

Peptide disease markers such as BNP usually use antigen-antibody re­action for measurement. The key is to amplify the reaction of extremely low amounts of molecules as much as possible in the measurement process.

In the field of surface science, thiol compounds hav­ing an SH group at the end of an organic molecule are known to form self-assembled monolayers of nanometer order on the sur­face of metals such as gold and silver.

An anti-BNP antibody was therefore used, which was labeled with acetylthiocholine-esterase (AChE), an enzyme that gene­rates a thiol compound by enzymatic reaction. Unreacted labelled antibodies are captured on the substrate following anti­gen-antibody reaction with disease mark­ers.

When acetylthiocholine is introduced after the removal of reacted antibodies by washing, thiol compounds are generated as a result of decomposition by the enzyme from the captured unreacted antibodies. When introduced onto a noble metal film, thiocholine forms a monolayer, resulting in high concentration of the enzymatic re­action product.

BNP can be measured with high sensitivity if electrical current is mea­sured when the product is subjected to elec­trochemical reduction or if the change in surface refractive index is measured by the surface plasma resonance (SPR) method.

Heart Disease Marker

Essay # 5. Scope and Potential of Nano-Biotechnology in Crop Improvement:

The production level of food grains has become an issue of concern as it has been showing a downward trend over the last decade. Since, there has been a drastic decrease in natural resources, it is through agriculture that we can visualize a self-sustainable world.

The growth in agriculture can be achieved only by increas­ing productivity through an effective use of modern technology as the land and water re­sources are limited. Nano-biotechnology pro­vides the tool and technological platforms to advance agricultural productivity through ge­netic improvement of plants, delivery of genes and drug molecules to specific sites at cellular levels.

The interest is increasing with suitable techniques and sensors for precision in agri­culture, natural resource management, early detection of pathogens and contaminants in food products and smart delivery systems for agrochemicals like fertilizers and pesticides.

To achieve the goals of “Nano-agriculture”, detailed investigation on the ability of nanoparticles to penetrate plant cell walls and work as smart treatment-delivery systems in plants is needed.

However, the scope of Nano-biotechnology is huge and literally does not end here. Re­searchers are also working out on many more such as Fully-automatic Two-dimensional Electrophoresis for Proteomic Analysis, Safer Gene Therapy with a Novel Gene Transfer Vector, Smart Capsule with Highly-functional Nano Spaces, procedure for Sensing and Ma­nipulation of Cells, to carry out Cell Surgery using a Nano scale needle, developing of new diagnostic techniques for Cancer Metastasis, developing of a motor protein used as a Nano actuator.

Essay # 6. Conclusion to Nano-Biotechnology:

Despite the tremendous challenges, the excit­ing intellectual, economic, and social opportu­nities of Nano-biotechnology might become a major factor in reinvigorating a nation’s ap­proach to science and technology.

Nano-bio­technology will lead to the design of entirely new classes of micro and nanofabricated de­vices and machines, the inspiration for which will be based on bio-structured machines, the use of biomolecules as building blocks, or the use of bio systems as the fabrication machin­ery.

Along with the promise of nanotechnology, a number of cautionary tales have emerged that deal with the technology itself and its potential to self-replicate. But it is to be noted that Nano-systems in biology, the most com­plex and highly functional Nano-scale materi­als and machines have been invented by na­ture itself.

Proteins and nucleic acids, and other naturally occurring molecules (polymers) regulate and control biological systems with incredible precision.

Ultra-strong or other clever materials are common place – from muscle glue, through spider’s silk, to water- repelling lotus leaves. The potential uses and benefits of Nano-biotechnology are enormous; so the nanotechnologists are in fact drawing inspiration from biology to build new materi­als and devices that can be tremendously use­ful to the mankind in future.

Home››Essay››