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Nanotechnology in Medicine
Nanotechnology is an enabling
technology and is likely to develop along lines similar to semiconductor
technology, namely, as materials, devices and systems.
As expected,
nanomaterials are those being developed first are those whose interesting size
dependent properties have already been studied over the last decade. Today,
application of these amazing materials is underway in the natural sciences.
Living organisms
are composed of cells, about 10 microns in size. However cell parts are much
smaller, of the order of a few nanometera (nm) (about 50000 times smaller than a
human hair). Nanomaterials synthesized in the laboratory are of the same size
as cell parts. This makes these materials capable “spies” to take a closer
look at the cellular machinery in detail, hitherto unknown.
The group of
Prasenjit Sen, School of Physical Sciences, JNU and Anjan K. Dasgupta,
Department of Biochemistry, Calcutta University have been working to unravel the
interaction of human haemoglobin with some nanoparticles. In a recent article
in ‘Nanomedicine : Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine’, an Elsevier
publication, these authors have shown the specific interaction of human
haemoglobin, a component of blood, with copper nanoparticles.
Normal human
haemoglobin, named HBA0, consists of 4 globular protein subunits. Each is
composed of a protein chain tightly associated with a non-protein heme group.
In adult humans the haemoglobin is a tetramer consisting of 2 alpha and 2 beta
subunits noncovalently bonded (thus, HbA0 subunit representation is 22 ). Each
chain encloses 1 iron atom held in a heterocyclic ring and is important for
transport of life-sustaining oxygen in the human body.
The composition
of haemoglobin is the same in all people worldwide. The genes that code for
haemoglobin are identical. Occasionally, however, one of the genes alters
accidentally or under environmental pressure: these alterations in genes are
called mutations. Since genes are inherited, and they contain the information
needed to make a protein: if a mutation produces an abnormal haemoglobin gene in
a person, the gene will be passed on to his or her children. The children will
produce a modified haemoglobin identical to that of the parent. Most mutations
in haemoglobin produce no problem. Occasionally, however, the alteration in the
protein changes aspects of its behaviour. The types of disorders that can
result include sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
So, what is
thalassemia? Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes mild or
severe anemia. The anemia is due to reduced haemoglobin and fewer red blood
cells than normal. In people with thalassemia, the genes that code for
haemoglobin are missing or variant (different than the normal genes). Severe
forms of thalassemia are usually diagnosed in early childhood and are lifelong
conditions. Which are expensive to sustain with regular blood transfusions with
their attendant complications. The two main types of thalassemia, alpha and
beta, are named for the two protein chains that make up normal haemoglobin. The
genes for each type of thalassemia are passed from parents to their children.
Alpha and beta thalassemias have both mild and severe forms, the latter being
fatal. These are conditions where recovery is not possible with treatment.
Hence detection as a means to prevention is the lone possibility.
The study by Sen
and Dasgupta focuses on the detailed interaction between copper nanoparticles
and different variants of haemoglobin such as HbA0 (the major component of human
haemoglobin) and HbA2 (a variant that is associated with beta thalassemia). In
the case of HbA0, the major fraction of human haemoglobin, the nanoparticle
triggers protein aggregation and this is followed by the precipitation of the
protein. The aggregative response is largely attenuated in case of HbA2. The
difference between the two variants is thus amenable to detection by simple
optical methods. The fact that nanoparticles co-precipitated with specific
haemoglobin variants was verified using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and
high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). A suitable scaling up of the
approach may have important implications in screening haemoglobinopathy like
thalassemia. As costs for these tests are a fraction of those currently in the
market, mass screening of a population in a country like India is possible. The
idea has been allotted a priority date with a provisional patent in India with
subsequent applications with PCT (Paris Cooperation Treaty) and the US National
phase to take place in the course of the year.
Prasenjit Sen
Associate
Professor
School of
Physical Sciences
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dqekj us fd;kA eq[; vfrfFk Hkkjrh; fo’ofo|ky; laxBu ds vè;{k ,oa Jh ykycgknqj
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laLÑr dh oSpkfjd le‘f¼ dks mldh ’kfDr crkrs gq;s mUgksaus laLÑr dks Hkkjrh;
fopkjksa dks lk>k ’kCnkoyh nsus okyk crk;kA dqyifr us laLÑr dks mUur djus rFkk
mlds fo”k; esa iSQyh HkzkfUr;ksa dks ,slh O;k[;ku ijEijkvksa }kjk nwj djus ij cy
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us iqLrdc¼ djus dk lq>ko fn;kA mUgksaus Hkk”kk ds ikfjokfjd oxhZdj.k dks furkar
vizklafxd crkrs gq;s bl ckr ij tksj fn;k fd vc Hkkjr dks Hkkf”kd {ks=k ds :i esa
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lapkyu dsUnz ds vè;kid MkW- jkeukFk >k us fd;kA
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fo”k; laLÑr vkSj caxkyh FkkA mUgksaus O;k[;ku eq[; :i ls laLÑr vkSj caxkyh ds
lkfgfR;d i{k ij rFkk cax fo}kuksa ds laLÑr dks fn;s x;s ;ksxnku ij dsfUnzr j[kkA
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mnkgj.k fn;s tks vf/drj laLÑr okD;ksa ds èoU;kRed vuqokn tSls gh yx jgs FksA l=k
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12 vxLr] ’kfuokj
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laLÑr laLFkku ubZ fnYyh ds dqyifr izks- dqVqEc ’kkL=kh us laLÑr rFkk rsyqxw fo”k;
ij O;k[;ku fn;kA mUgksaus crk;k fd vkU/z dk izFke dkO; ,oa rsyqxq dk izFke
O;kdj.k laLÑr Hkk”kk esa fy;k x;kA vè;{kh; Hkk”k.k esa izks- egknsou us rsyqxw
ds dqN ’kCn m¼r fd;s tks laLÑr ds leku gSa ijUrq muds vFkZ cny x;s gSaA
14 vxLr] lkseokj
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>k us fd;k rFkk l=k dh vè;{krk iwoZ dsUnzh; eU=kh] Hkkjr ljdkj] MkW- ljksftuh
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vkj- iPpeq[kh us laLÑr vkSj dUuM fo”k; ij fn;kA mUgksaus crk;k fd izkphure dUuM
vfHkys[k 30 bZlk iwoZ esa feyrk gS blls fl¼ gksrk gS fd mlds igys laLÑr esa
fy[kk x;kA mUgksaus vk/qfud vFkZ’kkL=k ij dbZ iqLrdsa laLÑr esa fy[kh gSaA
vè;{kh; oDrO; esa MkW- ljksftuh efg”kh us Hkkjrh; Hkk”kkvksa dks nks Hkkxksa esa
oxhZÑr fd;k&laLÑr&tU; ,oa laLÑr&iq”VA
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