Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology

Biomedical applications of nanotechnology (257 - 15565)
Study: Bachelor in Biomedical Engineering
Semester 2/Spring Semester
4th Year Course/Upper Division

Students are Expected to have completed:

Students are strongly advised to have completed the subjects Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering and Introduction to Biomaterials.

Compentences and Skills that will be Acquired and Learning Results:

Through lectures, paper reviews and practices, students will be introduced to the vast field of nanotechnology for biomedical applications.
The course will focus on the use of nanoparticles in medical imaging and therapy.
Students will become familiar with the main techniques employed to synthesize and characterize most common nanomaterials.
The global aim will be to get an idea of what makes nano-world different and which are the main applications in Biomedical Engineering.

Description of Contents: Course Description

1.- INTRODUCTION TO NANOTECHNOLOGY
Definitions
Physicochemical features
Nanoparticle-cell interactions
2.- CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES
Transmission and Scanning Electronic Microscopy
Dynamic Light Scattering
Atomic Force Microscopy
UV-vis spectroscopy
Infrared spectroscopy
3.- BIOCONJUGATION TECHNIQUES
Introduction to Organic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry Synthesis
Proteins
Antibodies
4.- ORGANIC NANOMATERIALS
Liposomes
Dendrimers
Polimers
Carbon nanotubes
5.- INORGANIC NANOPARTICLES
Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles
Gold Nanoparticles
Fluorescent Nanomaterials
6.- MULTIFUNCTIONAL PROBES
Theranostics
MRI/Optical
PET/MRI
7.- BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS
Molecular imaging
Drug and gene delivery
Oncology
Cardiovascular diseases
Pulmonary diseases
8.- NANOTOXICOLOGY
9.- CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE

Lab practices
We will undertake 4 lab practices, 3 at UC3M labs and one in the visit to Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares. The dates will be announced early in the course with a similar time schedule than regular classes.

Preparation of liposomes (UC3M)
Synthesis of gold nanomaterials (UC3M)
Synthesis of iron oxide nanomaterials and characterisation (CNIC)
Gold nanoparticles-based sensors (UC3M)

Learning Activities and Methodology:

Each section of the program will be divided into lectures and practical sessions/seminars.
Most of the practical sessions will take place at the Laboratories in the UC3M but some of them may require visits to Hospital Gregorio Marañón and Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares.

Assessment System:

Grading will be based on continuous evaluation and a final exam covering the whole subject, including invited lectures and seminars. Help sessions and tutorial classes will be held prior to the final exam upon students request.Attendance to lectures and seminars is not compulsory. However, failure to attend any test or submit the exercises before the deadline will result in a mark of 0 in the corresponding continuous evaluation block (see below).

GRADING: Total score: 10 pointsContinuous evaluation: 5 points out of 10 Final exam: 5 points out of 10
CONTINUOUS EVALUATION: It accounts for up to 50% of the final score of the subject (5 points of the TOTAL SCORE), and includes two components:1) Three tests: 3 points of THE TOTAL SCORE. These tests will take place mostly during lectures and will be announced at least one week in advance.
2) 2 point of THE TOTAL SCORE for a scientific papers presentations, lab practices and exercises

FINAL EXAM: The final exam will cover the whole subject, including invited lectures and seminars, and will account for the 50 % of the final score (5 points of the TOTAL SCORE). The minimum score in the final exam to pass the subject is 4 over 10, notwithstanding the mark obtained in continuous evaluation.

EXTRAORDINARY EXAM: The mark for students attending any extraordinary examination will be either a) 100% extraordinary exam mark, or b) 50% extraordinary exam mark and 50% continuous evaluation if itis available in the same course.

ACADEMIC CONDUCT: Unless specified, all exams will be closed-book, closed-notes, no PC or mobile phone, or anything else other than a writing implement and the exam itself. Plagiarism, cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any infractions whatever will result in a failing grade.

% end-of-term-examination: 50 % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...)

Basic Bibliography:

Greg T. Hermanson (Second Edition). Bioconjugate Techniques. Elsevier Inc.. 2008
Paras N. Prasad. Introduction to Nanomedicine and Nanobioengineering: Transforming Healthcare with Nanotechnology. John Wiley and Sons. 2012

Additional Bibliography:

Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief.. BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology. Vol. 1 Biological and Biomedical Nanotechnology. Springer. 2006
Rajaventhan Srirajaskanthan, M.D.,Victor R. Preedy, Ph.D. Nanomedicine and Cancer. CRC Press. 2012
Vijay K. Varadan,LinFeng Chen,Jining Xie. Nanomedicine: Design and Applications of Magnetic Nanomaterials, Nanosensors . John Wiley and Sons. 2008