Methodist Neurosurgeon Makes Quantum Leap on Nano-Level

A neurosurgeon at the Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) is the first to use an enzyme-driven technique to label nanotubes with quantum dots, giving scientists a better way to see single-walled carbon nanotubes.

The ability to do this labeling allows nanotubes, nanomachines, or other nanoscale optical devices to be used for biomedical research. One practical application might include the precise delivery of medications to specific cancer cells, effectively sparing surrounding healthy cells.

Dr. David Baskin, neurosurgeon at the Methodist NI, and his colleagues published these research findings in the March 2006 issue of BioTechniques.

Dr. Baskin and Vladimir Didenko, PhD used an enzyme to create a permanent bond to attach semi-conductor nanocrystals, or Q-dots, to nanotubes. Because nanotubes absorb light, making them invisible, researchers have tried to find ways to make them visible inside living organisms. The light absorption properties of the nanotubes are bypassed by using the Q-dots.

“By attaching these Q-dots like beads on a string, we have the potential to link tens, hundreds, thousands of these strings together, creating nanomachines that can act like probes, giving researchers a new view into cancer cells, proteins, and DNA molecules,” said Dr. Baskin.

Once fluorescent, nanotubes can be observed by microscopes, which could enable the construction of nano-size devices. “We’re talking about the possibility of one day developing probes for biomedical research, quantum computing, possibly even a quantum internet,” said Dr. Baskin. “That would be huge in the world of nanoscience.”

In addition to this research, Drs. Baskin and Didenko have also worked with the late Dr. Richard Smalley, the Nobel laureate who developed the “buckyball.” Their research focused on manipulating carbon nanotubes to create fluorescent probes, something no other researcher had ever accomplished. Drs. Baskin, Didenko, and Smalley created a way to tightly wrap a polymer material around a nanotube, like a spool of thread, allowing them to label a nanotube. This resulted in a fluorescent probe and made individual nanotubes observable by a fluorescent microscope. An article on this research, co-authored with Dr. Smalley, can be found in Nano Letters; 2005, Vol. 5, No. 8.

A nanometer is too small to be seen with a conventional lab microscope. It is at this size scale, about 100 nanometers or less, that biological molecules and structures inside living cells operate.

Source: Methodist Neurological Institute

Related stories:

Mimicking gecko feet: Dry adhesive based on carbon nanotubes gets stronger
The race for the best "gecko foot" dry adhesive got a new competitor this week with a stronger and more practical material reported in the journal Science by a team of researchers from four U.S. institutions.
New study on properties of carbon nanotubes, water could have wide-ranging implications
A fresh discovery about the way water behaves inside carbon nanotubes could have implications in fields ranging from the function of ultra-tiny high-tech devices to scientists' understanding of biological processes, according to researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Nanoscale carbon materials research wins the 2008 Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics
Dr. Phaedon Avouris of IBM and Professor Tony Heinz of Columbia University were presented with the 2008 Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics on 27 September 2008 during a day-long forum at Harvard University, attended by luminaries of the field. The Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics recognizes researchers who have made an outstanding and innovative contribution to the field of applied physics. The forum was sponsored by the scientific publisher Springer.
Carbon nanostructures form the future of electronics and optoelectronics
This year's Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics will be awarded to Phaedon Avouris and Tony Heinz for their pioneering work on the electrical and optical properties of nanoscale carbon materials including carbon nanotubes − from basic science to exciting applications. The award, accompanied by US$ 5,000, will be presented at the Julius Springer Forum on Applied Physics 2008 at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, on 27 September 2008.
Important Twist in Supercapacitor Research
(PhysOrg.com) -- Car batteries as we know them today may soon be relics. Storing energy in clunky containers with limited shelf lives has plagued car makers and military engineers who need lightweight, powerful and reliable means to crank engines into life, enliven radios and operate other electronic appliances.
'Buckyballs' have high potential to accumulate in living tissue
Research at Purdue University suggests synthetic carbon molecules called fullerenes, or buckyballs, have a high potential of being accumulated in animal tissue, but the molecules also appear to break down in sunlight, perhaps reducing their possible environmental dangers.
Coating improves electrical stimulation therapy used for Parkinson's, depression, chronic pain
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have designed a way to improve electrical stimulation of nerves by outfitting electrodes with the latest in chemically engineered fashion: a coating of basic black, formed from carbon nanotubes.
Water purification down the nanotubes
Nanotechnology could be the answer to ensuring a safe supply of drinking water for regions of the world stricken by periodic drought or where water contamination is rife. Writing in the International Journal of Nuclear Desalination, researchers in India explain how carbon nanotubes could replace conventional materials in water-purification systems.

News discussion:

Nanotechnology news