Nanomedicine Midterm Exam 2025
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
Nanomedicine definition - ✔✔a branch of medicine that applies the knowledge and
tools of nanotechnology to the prevention and treatment of disease
involves the use of nanoscale materials, such as nanoparticles and nanotubes, for tissue
regeneration, drug delivery, diagnosis, gene inteference and editing, etc
Nanomaterials definition - ✔✔-anything with one or more external dimensions between
1 and 100 nm
-nanomaterials often shift shape when interacting with other small particles
-particles >100nm oftern display nanolike qualities
-some conjugates complex nanoparticles are >100nm
surface area to volume ratio - ✔✔nanomaterials are small in size but large in surface
area
they have a very high surface area to volume ratio
manipulating hydrophilicity - ✔✔one unique property of nanomaterials is that they can
have maniupulated hydrophilicity
they can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic shown by the water contact angle
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Paclitaxel (PTX) - ✔✔-nanoparticle formulated as a novel anti cancer drug
-one of the most effective ever developed
-active against a broad range of cancers: lung, ovarian, breast
-low water solubility so must be mixed in organic chemicals
metal-on-metal hip implants - ✔✔-medical devices used to restore mobility and relieve
pain associated with arthritis and other hip diseases or injuries
-CoCrMo or cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy
-originally thought to be more durable than ceramic or plastic, but has been shown to
deteriorate faster, expose patients to high levels of metals, and fail at a higher rate
-lots of money in lawsuits, recalls, and settlements
Lecture 1 takeaways - ✔✔-nanomedicine is very powerful, changing how we study and
treat diseases
-nanomaterials can mimic natural tissue structures as well as biomolecules like DNA
and proteins
-knowledge of nanomed is very important as it can determine the success or failure of
therapies costing billions of dollars
why do we need nanoparticles? - ✔✔-delivery to target organ/tissue
-protection
-entering cells
-toxicity
-multiple functions
considerations in design - ✔✔-administration methods
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, -half-life/stability
-degradation
-toxicity
-characterization and verification
barriers for nanotherapeutic delivery - ✔✔-mononuclear phagocyte system
-nonspecific distribution
-hemorheological limitations
-intratumoral pressure
-cell membrane internalization/endosomal escape
-multidrug resistance
enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) - ✔✔means molecules of certain sizes
(usually nanoparticles and macromolecules in nanomaterial sizes) tend to accumulate in
tumor tissue more than they do in normal tissues
causes of EPR - ✔✔-tumor cell growth: aggregates to 150-200um
-need of blood supply: vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for angiogenesis
-abnormal in form and architecture: poorly aligned defective andothelial cells, wide
fenestrations, lacking a smooth muscle later
-lack effective lymphatic drainage (hypertension and low pH)
-inflammation cytokines: NO, TNF-alpha, etc (migration of macrophages)
-secretions of proteinases, such as MMPs (Matrix metalloproteinases)
biological factors impacting EPR - ✔✔-effectiveness of lymphatic drainage and
intratumoral pressure
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
Nanomedicine definition - ✔✔a branch of medicine that applies the knowledge and
tools of nanotechnology to the prevention and treatment of disease
involves the use of nanoscale materials, such as nanoparticles and nanotubes, for tissue
regeneration, drug delivery, diagnosis, gene inteference and editing, etc
Nanomaterials definition - ✔✔-anything with one or more external dimensions between
1 and 100 nm
-nanomaterials often shift shape when interacting with other small particles
-particles >100nm oftern display nanolike qualities
-some conjugates complex nanoparticles are >100nm
surface area to volume ratio - ✔✔nanomaterials are small in size but large in surface
area
they have a very high surface area to volume ratio
manipulating hydrophilicity - ✔✔one unique property of nanomaterials is that they can
have maniupulated hydrophilicity
they can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic shown by the water contact angle
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Paclitaxel (PTX) - ✔✔-nanoparticle formulated as a novel anti cancer drug
-one of the most effective ever developed
-active against a broad range of cancers: lung, ovarian, breast
-low water solubility so must be mixed in organic chemicals
metal-on-metal hip implants - ✔✔-medical devices used to restore mobility and relieve
pain associated with arthritis and other hip diseases or injuries
-CoCrMo or cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy
-originally thought to be more durable than ceramic or plastic, but has been shown to
deteriorate faster, expose patients to high levels of metals, and fail at a higher rate
-lots of money in lawsuits, recalls, and settlements
Lecture 1 takeaways - ✔✔-nanomedicine is very powerful, changing how we study and
treat diseases
-nanomaterials can mimic natural tissue structures as well as biomolecules like DNA
and proteins
-knowledge of nanomed is very important as it can determine the success or failure of
therapies costing billions of dollars
why do we need nanoparticles? - ✔✔-delivery to target organ/tissue
-protection
-entering cells
-toxicity
-multiple functions
considerations in design - ✔✔-administration methods
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, -half-life/stability
-degradation
-toxicity
-characterization and verification
barriers for nanotherapeutic delivery - ✔✔-mononuclear phagocyte system
-nonspecific distribution
-hemorheological limitations
-intratumoral pressure
-cell membrane internalization/endosomal escape
-multidrug resistance
enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) - ✔✔means molecules of certain sizes
(usually nanoparticles and macromolecules in nanomaterial sizes) tend to accumulate in
tumor tissue more than they do in normal tissues
causes of EPR - ✔✔-tumor cell growth: aggregates to 150-200um
-need of blood supply: vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for angiogenesis
-abnormal in form and architecture: poorly aligned defective andothelial cells, wide
fenestrations, lacking a smooth muscle later
-lack effective lymphatic drainage (hypertension and low pH)
-inflammation cytokines: NO, TNF-alpha, etc (migration of macrophages)
-secretions of proteinases, such as MMPs (Matrix metalloproteinases)
biological factors impacting EPR - ✔✔-effectiveness of lymphatic drainage and
intratumoral pressure
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
