In- Situ Nanomedicine: From Nanostructured Orthopedics to Liquid Electron Microscopy

Tolou Shokuhfar

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, USA

Abstract
Future prospects for nanotechnology and biomaterials in medical applications appear to be excellent. In orthopedic applications, there is a significant need and demand for the development of a bone implant that is bioactive and exhibits mechanical and surface properties comparable with those of natural, healthy bone. Particularly, implants with nanometer-sized surfaces have been receiving much attention recently due to their ability to mimic the dimensions of constituent components of natural bone. TiO2 nanotubes have been developed and studied as novel surface modification that promote osteointegration and can be a successful alternative to conventional implants with flat surfaces. In addition medical implants such as orthopedic, dental, and vascular stents may require subsequent drug therapy regiments to prevent infection, or decrease inflammation. Drug release derived directly from the implant surface rather than systemically can reduce unnecessary side effects and increase efficiency. A common technique used to make drug-eluting implants applies a drug-loaded polymer coating that can delaminate, induce an inflammatory response and subsequent implant failure. TiO2 nanotubes could be considered a more suitable alternative route for the development of drug-eluting implants due to the fact that these nanostructures are not an added coating but rather are rooted in the implants and will not delaminate from the surface. In another aspect, in-situ scanning transmission electron microcopy (STEM) analysis technique is being used to investigate the behavior of hydrated ferritin proteins in a high-throughput manner. This is a new technique utilizing special holders that allow living cells and proteins to survive and be nourished within the STEM high vacuum environment. This platform will revolutionize the field of nanomedicine by expanding detection and imaging limits to the molecular level. Nanometer spatial resolution will assist the investigation of functions proteins as well as simultaneously tracking protein binding mechanisms on the cell membrane, shedding light on new diagnostics and therapeutics. No such high-throughput bio- EM analysis technology is currently available. The discoveries will contribute missing, fundamental knowledge of traumatic brain injury and the aging brain. The acquisition of such knowledge is critical to the development of improved therapeutic strategies to promote healing of Alzheimer’s and other chronic diseases.