Engineering imaging probes and molecular machines for nanomedicine
Tong S, Cradick T J, Ma Y, et al. Engineering imaging probes and molecular machines for nanomedicine. Sci China Life Sci
Engineering imaging probes and molecular machines for nanomedicine
TONG Sheng 1
CRADICK Thomas J. 1
MA Yan 0
DAI ZhiFei 0
0 Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871 , China
1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University , Atlanta, GA 30332 , USA
Nanomedicine is an emerging field that integrates nanotechnology, biomolecular engineering, life sciences and medicine; it is expected to produce major breakthroughs in medical diagnostics and therapeutics. Due to the size-compatibility of nano-scale structures and devices with proteins and nucleic acids, the design, synthesis and application of nanoprobes, nanocarriers and nanomachines provide unprecedented opportunities for achieving a better control of biological processes, and drastic improvements in disease detection, therapy, and prevention. Recent advances in nanomedicine include the development of functional nanoparticle based molecular imaging probes, nano-structured materials as drug/gene carriers for in vivo delivery, and engineered molecular machines for treating single-gene disorders. This review focuses on the development of molecular imaging probes and engineered nucleases for nanomedicine, including quantum dot bioconjugates, quantum dot-fluorescent protein FRET probes, molecular beacons, magnetic and gold nanoparticle based imaging contrast agents, and the design and validation of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) for gene targeting. The challenges in translating nanomedicine approaches to clinical applications are discussed.
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Citation:
Nanomedicine is an emerging field that integrates
nanotechnology, biomolecular engineering, biology, and
medicine [
1
]. It focuses on the development of engineered
nano-scale (1100 nm) materials, structures and devices for
better diagnostics and highly specific medical intervention
in curing disease or repairing damaged tissues. As a basis
for nanomedicine, nanotechnology is the science,
engineering, and technology related to the understanding and control
of matter at the nano-scale, and the development of
materials, devices, and systems that have novel properties and
functions due to their nano-scale dimensions or components.
Nanotechnology also provides new abilities to measure,
control and manipulate matter (including soft matter) at the
nano-scale what was unthinkable with conventional tools.
Owing to the size-compatibility of nano-scale structures
with proteins and nucleic acids in living cells, nanomedicine
approaches have the potential to provide unprecedented
opportunities for achieving a better control of biological
processes, and drastic improvements in disease detection,
therapy, and prevention, thus revolutionizing medicine.
Over the last ten years or so, significant efforts have been
made in the US, China, Europe and elsewhere to develop
nanomedicine. For example, the US National Institutes of
Health has developed a nanomedicine centers network, and
invested a significant amount of research funding to
nanomedicine development. Just in FY 2009 (Oct. 1, 2008Sept.
30, 2009), the total NIH funding in nanotechnology/
nanoscience projects was more than 410 million US dollars.
Many potential applications of nanomedicine have been, or
are being, explored, including nanoparticle-based molecular
imaging probes for biological studies and disease detection;
nano-carriers for targeted in vivo drug/gene delivery in more
efficient therapy, and nuclease-based nano-devices for
treating single-gene disorders. For basic biological studies,
the development of new nano-scale tools and devices have
the potential to permit imaging of cellular structures at the
nano scale, rapid measurement of the dynamic behavior of
protein complexes and molecular assemblies in living cells
and animals, and a better control of intracellular machinery.
It is expected that the multifunctional, targeted
nanoparticles are capable of overcoming biological barriers to deliver
therapeutic agents preferentially to diseased cells and
tissues at high local concentrations, resulting in much
enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity. Nanomedicine
approaches have the potential to allow clinicians to detect a
disease in its earliest, most easily treatable, presymptomatic
stage, and provide real-time assessments of therapeutic and
surgical outcome. Nano-scale tools may also be used to
quickly identify new disease targets for drug development
and predict drug resistance.
In this review, we will focus on nano-structured and
nanoparticle-based molecular imaging probes, including
fluorescence imaging probes and nanoparticle contrast agents
for MRI, PET, and CT, and molecular machines using
engineered nucleases for gene targeting. Due to space
limitations, this is not intended to be a comprehensive review (...truncated)