Bionanotechnology
Objectives
The main purpose of this course is to raise awareness towards the increasing relevance of nanotechnology, with particular emphasis on nanotechnology in biomedical applications.
In particular, it is intended to stimulate the students’ understanding of concepts and underlying mechanisms of nanotechnology applications in biodiagnostics and construction of biosensors, within a broader field of developments in clinical diagnostics and biomedicine research.
General characterization
Code
9192
Credits
6.0
Responsible teacher
José Ricardo Ramos Franco Tavares, Pedro Miguel Ribeiro Viana Baptista
Hours
Weekly - 4
Total - 50
Teaching language
Português
Prerequisites
General knowledge of physics, engineering, chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology
Bibliography
“Nanobiotechnology: Concepts, Applications and Perspectives”
C.M. Niemeyer, C.A. Mirkin (Eds.), 2004, Wiley-VCH, Weinhein, Germany
“Materials Chemistry”
B.D. Fahlman, 2007, Springer, Dordrecht, the Netherlands
“Bionanotechnology”, D.S. Goodsell, 2004, Wiley-Liss, Hoboken, NJ, USA
Teaching method
Lectures will have a duration 2 h duration and will include problem solving. Each week, the first 2 hours will be taught by the Lecturers, and the second 2 hours will be taught by invited experts or groups of three students will present their Seminars.
Evaluation method
Two written tests including all matters taught by the Professors and invited experts (each test corresponds to 25% of the final grade). Alternatively, this evaluation component of 50% can be obtained in an examination after the end of classes (“Recurso”). The seminar presented by the students corresponds to 40% of the final grade and takes into consideration the presentation, the discussion and the documentation submitted. The discussion period after each of the student’s Seminars counts by 10% of the final grade and takes into consideration questions posed by the audience students to their colleagues presenting.
Subject matter
Historic perspective on the origin of Nanotechnology
Scale effect and properties of nanomaterials.
Nanofabrication: bottom-up vs. top-down approach
Microscopy for nanomaterials characterisation (TEM, SEM, SPR)
Bionanotechnology and Bionanomachines
Nanoparticles for clinical applications
Nanotechnology and Green Chemistry
Nanotoxicology
Construction of nanostructures
Surface functionalisation
Self-assembling
Bio-polymerisation
Cross-linking
DNA based nanostructures
Electronics
Bio-mimetizing
Protein based nanostructures
Bionanodetection applications
DNA & RNA (cross-linking vs. non-cross-linking)
Nanoparticles for drug delivery and nanovectors for gene therapy.
Programs
Programs where the course is taught: