University of Gondar Institute of Technology

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Optics
Group Assignment
Title: Micro-array and nanotechnology
Group Members ID
1. Awoke Fente 00195/09
2. Bethel Tamirat 00254/09
3. Bethlehem Bashaw 00249/09
4. Bezawit Assefa 00269/09
5. Elias Mekonen 00382/09
January 21/2019
Outlines
• Introduction
• Definition of micro-array
• History of micro-array
• Working principle of micro-array
• Components of micro-array
• Classification of micro-array
• Limitations in microarray
• Definition of nanotechnology
• History of nanotechnology
• Principle of nanotechnology
• Application of nanotechnology
• Risks in nanotechnology
• Summary
Objective
After completion of this presentation you should be able to know and understand:
• what microarray and nanotechnology means,

• History of microarray and nanotechnology,

• Their basic working principle
• Classification of both microarray and nanotechnology
• Some applications of both microarray and nanotechnology
Introduction
• Microarray technology has become one of the indispensable tools that many
biologists use to monitor genome wide expression levels of genes in a given
organism.
• Nanotechnology as defined by size is naturally very broad, including fields of
science as diverse as surface science, organic chemistry, molecular biology,
semiconductor physics, energy storage, microfabrication, molecular engineering,
etc.
What is micro-array?
• A microarray is an analytical device that comprises an array of molecules
(DNA,RNA and proteins) or tissue sections immobilized at discrete ordered or on-
ordered micrometer-to-millimeter-sized locations on the surface of a porous or
nonporous insoluble solid support.
• A microarray is typically a glass slide that is usually made of glass ,silicon chip or
nylon membrane on to which DNA molecules are fixed in an orderly manner at
specific locations called spots (or features).
• Simply, microarray is a collection of microscopic features (most commonly DNA)
which can be probed with target molecules to produce either quantitative (gene
expression) or qualitative (diagnostic) data.
History of micro-array
• The concept of using microarrays can be traced back 25 years to the introduction
of the Southern blot.
• Modern microarrays analysis was introduced in 1995 by a Stanford University
research team led Pat Brown and Ron Davis .
Components

All micro-array systems share the following key components:

• The array, which contains immobilized nucleic acid sequences, or ‘targets’
• One or more labeled samples or ‘probes’, that are hybridized with the microarray
• A detection system that quantitates the hybridization optical signal
Principle of micro-array
• DNA microarrays work on the principle of DNA hybridization. In this technique,
a sequence that is complementary to a DNA sequence of interest is immobilized
on a substrate (the chip).
• If the complimentary sequence is present in the analyte, it will hybridize onto its
complement located on the chip.
• Different methods can be used to detect the hybridization event. Techniques
include optical detection methods, usually involving fluorescently tagged DNA
molecules, as well as surface Plasmon resonance, colorimetric, and surface-
enhanced Raman spectroscopy.
Applications of micro-array
Application in medical fields
1. The discovery of target: microarray is used to compare diseased tissues/cells with
healthy tissues/cells to find the characteristics of a particular disease that helps in
finding the genes responsible for that disease.
2. The discovery of drugs and leads: after the target has been discovered, microarrays
can be used to screen potential compounds and identify the toxicity of the lead
compound that will help in deciding proper medication for the patient.
• The study of antibodies, as well as microorganisms like bacteria and virus, also helps
in the discovery of more effective antibiotics and vaccines.
3. Diagnostics and prognostics: the microarray is widely used to know the state of
disease, type of tumor and other factors important for the patient. As mentioned
above, it is used to diagnose a number of diseases and infections, most notably
cancer.

4. Pharmacogenomics and theranostics: the microarray technique can be used to

decide a patient’s treatment and therapy on the basis of his/her genetic makeup. It
can also help in controlling side effects of medications.
Application in biotechnological researches
• Micro-array may aid in identification of new genes as well as in studying their function
and expressions in different conditions.
• It includes determination of genetic sequence of all types of organisms (such as human
beings ,mice as well as microbes).
Application in field agriculture and environment
• It is used I studies related to pest control.
• Microarray technology like oligonucleotide is used to analyze exposure of toxic
occupational biomarkers. This helps in classifying toxins into different categories
based on the responses of the biomarkers and study the risk factors in the environment.
Classification of micro-array
Based on the mode of preparation
1. The spotted array on glass: spotted arrays are made on poly-lysine coated
glass microscope slides. This provides binding of high-density DNA by using
slotted pins. It allows fluorescent labeling of the sample.
2. Self-assembled arrays: these are fiber optic arrays made by the deposition of
DNA synthesized on small polystyrene beads. The beads are deposited on the
etched ends of the array. Different DNA can be synthesized on different beads
and applying a mixture of beads to the fiber optic cable will make a randomly
assembled array.
3. In-situ synthesized arrays: these arrays are made by chemical synthesis on a
solid substrate. In the chemical synthesis, photo-labile protecting groups are
combined with photolithography to perform the action. These arrays are used in
expression analysis, genotyping, and sequencing.
Based on the types of probes used, microarrays are of twelve different types:
1. DNA microarrays(gene chip, DNA chip or biochip): It either measures DNA or
uses DNA as a part of its detection system. There are four different types of DNA
microarrays: cDNA microarrays, oligo DNA microarrays, BAC microarrays and
SNP microarrays.
2. MM Chips: MM chip allows the integrative analysis of cross-platform and
between-laboratory data. It studies interactions between DNA and protein. ChIP-
chip (Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by array hybridization) and ChIP-
seq. (ChIP followed by massively parallel sequencing) are the two techniques
used.
3. Protein microarrays: it acts as a platform for characterization of hundreds of
thousands of proteins in a highly parallel way. Protein microarray is of three
types, and these are analytical protein microarrays, functional protein microarrays
and reverse-phase protein microarrays.
4. Peptide microarrays: these types of arrays are used for the detailed analyses or
optimization of protein–protein interactions. It helps in antibody recognition by
screening proteomes.
5. Tissue microarrays: tissue microarray paraffin blocks that are formed by
separating cylindrical tissue cores from various donors and embedding it into a
single microarray. This is mainly used in pathology.
6. Cellular microarrays: they are used for screening large-scale chemical and
genomic libraries and systematically investigating the local cellular
microenvironment.
7. Chemical compound microarrays: this is used for drug screening and drug
discovery. This microarray has the capacity to identify and evaluate small molecules
and so it is more useful than the other technologies used in the pharmaceutical
industry.
8. Antibody microarrays: they are also referred to as antibody array or antibody
chip. These are protein-specific microarrays that contain a collection of capture
antibodies placed inside a microscope slide. They are used for detecting antigens.
9. Carbohydrate arrays: they are also called glycol-arrays. Carbohydrate arrays
are used in screening proteomes that are carbohydrate binding. They can also be
utilized in calculating protein binding affinities and automization of solid-support
synthesis for glycans.
10. Phenotype microarrays: phenotype microarrays or PMs are mainly used in
drug development. They quantitatively measure thousands of cellular phenotypes all
at once. It is also used in functional genomics and toxicological testing.
11. Reverse phase protein microarrays: they are microarrays of lysates or serum.
Mostly used in clinical trials, especially in the field of cancer, they also have
pharmaceutical uses. In some cases, they can also be used in the study of
biomarkers.
12. Interferometric reflectance imaging sensor or IRIS: IRIS is a biosensor that
is used to analyze protein–protein, protein–DNA, and DNA–DNA interactions. It
does not make use of fluorescent labels. It is made of Si/SiO2 substrates prepared
by robotic spotting.
Limitations of microarray
Hybridization-based approaches are high throughput and relatively inexpensive, but
have several limitations which include:
• Reliance upon existing knowledge about the genome sequence;
• High background levels owing to cross-hybridization;
• Limited dynamic range of detection owing to both background and saturation
signals;
• Comparing expression levels across different experiments is often difficult and
can require complicated normalisation methods.
What is Nanotechnology?
• Nanotechnology ("nanotech") is manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular,
and supramolecular scale.
• The most important requirement for the nanotechnology definition is that the
Nano-structure has special properties that are exclusively due to its nanoscale
proportions. This definition is based on the number of dimensions of a material,
which are outside the nanoscale (<100 nm) range.
History
• The concepts that seeded nanotechnology were first discussed in 1959 by
renowned physicist Richard Feynman in his talk There's Plenty of Room at the
Bottom, in which he described the possibility of synthesis via direct manipulation
of atoms.
• The term "Nano-technology" was first used by Norio Taniguchi in 1974, though it
was not widely known.
• The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, which proposed the idea of a nanoscale
"assembler" which would be able to build a copy of itself and of other items of
arbitrary complexity with atomic control.
Branches of Nanotechnology
• Green nanotechnology – use of nanotechnology to enhance the environmental-
sustainability of processes currently producing negative externalities.
• Nano-electronics – use of nanotechnology on electronic components, including
transistors so small that inter-atomic interactions and quantum mechanical
properties need to be studied extensively.
• Nano-mechanics – branch of nanoscience studying fundamental mechanical
(elastic, thermal and kinetic) properties of physical systems at the nanometer
scale.
• Nano-photonics – study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale.
Multi-disciplinary fields including
nanotechnology
• Nano biotechnology – intersection of nanotechnology and biology.
• Ceramic engineering – science and technology of creating objects from inorganic,
non-metallic materials.
• Materials science – interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to
various areas of science and engineering. It investigates the relationship between
the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic
properties.
• Nano-architectonics – arranging nanoscale structural units, which are usually a
group of atoms or molecules, in an intended configuration.
• Molecular engineering
Medical Applications
• Drug delivery: nanotechnology has provided the possibility of delivering drugs to
specific cells using Nano-particles. The efficacy of drug delivery through Nano-
medicine is largely based upon efficient encapsulation of drugs, successful delivery of
drug to target region of the body and successful release of drug.
• Cancer treatment: Nanoparticles have high surface area to volume ratio. This allows
for many functional groups to be attached to a nanoparticle, which can seek out and
bind to certain tumor cell. Additionally, the small size of nanoparticles , allows them to
preferentially accumulate at tumor sites (because tumors lack an effective lymphatic
drainage system).
• In vivo imaging : Using nanoparticle contrast agents, images such as ultrasound and
MRI have a favorable distribution and improved contrast. In cardiovascular imaging,
nanoparticles have potential to aid visualization of blood pooling, ischemia,
angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, and focal areas where inflammation is present
• Sensing: nanotechnology-on-a-chip is one more dimension of lab-on-
a-chip technology. Magnetic nanoparticles, bound to a suitable
antibody, are used to label specific molecules, structures or
microorganisms. Gold nanoparticles tagged with short segments of
DNA can be used for detection of genetic sequence in a sample.
• Blood purification: magnetic nanoparticles can be used for the
removal of various noxious compounds including toxins, pathogens,
and proteins from whole blood in an extracorporeal circuit similar to
dialysis.
• Tissue engineering: Nanotechnology may be used as part of tissue engineering to
help reproduce or repair or reshape damaged tissue using suitable nanomaterial-
based scaffolds and growth factors. Nanoparticles such as graphene, carbon
nanotubes, molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide are being used as
reinforcing agents to fabricate mechanically strong biodegradable polymeric
nanocomposites for bone tissue engineering applications.
• Cell repair machines (molecular assemblers): machines which could re-order
matter at a molecular or atomic scale. Nano medicine would make use of these
Nano-robots introduced into the body, to repair or detect damages and infections.
Molecular nanotechnology is highly theoretical.
Industrial applications
• Food: Bacteria identification and food quality monitoring using biosensors;
intelligent, active, and smart food packaging systems; Nano encapsulation of
bioactive food compounds are some applications in food industry.
• Consumer goods: Nano ceramic particles have improved the smoothness and heat
resistance of common household equipment. In addition, Textiles with a Nano
technological finish can be washed less frequently and at lower temperatures.
• Military applications:
- Biological sensors; used to detect biological agents.
- Nano weapons
Risks of nanotechnology
• Potential risks include environmental, health, and safety issues; transitional effects
such as displacement of traditional industries as the products of nanotechnology
become dominant, which are of concern to privacy rights advocates.
• Health hazard: Nano-toxicology is the field which studies potential health risks
of nanomaterials. How these nanoparticles behave inside the organism is one of
the significant issues that needs to be resolved. For example, they could cause
overload on phagocytes, cells that ingest and destroy foreign matter, thereby
triggering stress reactions that lead to inflammation and weaken the body’s
defense against other pathogens.
• Environment impact: Nano-pollution is a generic name for all waste generated
by Nano devices or during the nanomaterials manufacturing process. Nano wastes
is mainly the group of particles that are released into the environment, or the
particles that are thrown away when still on their products.
• Social impact: Beyond the toxicity risks to human health and the environment
which are associated with first-generation nanomaterials, nanotechnology has
broader societal impact and poses broader social challenges. Longer-term
concerns center on the impact may be either a post-scarcity economy, or
alternatively exacerbate the wealth gap between developed and developing
nations..
Summary
• Micro-array and nanotechnology are recent advancements which has different
application in medical fields, agriculture ,security and different human research
area.
• Nanotechnology involves manipulating known chemicals at the molecular and
atomic level in order to create smaller, faster, stronger, lighter, reliable products.
• The nanoscale, which measures activities that apply nanotechnology is very small.
Reference
• Basic concept of Microarray and potential Applications in clinical
Microbiology, Melissa B. Miller
• Nanotechnology: A new frontier in virus detection in clinical practice,
AM Abraham
• Nanotech-hands-on-activities,2003
• Micro-array and nanotechnology applications of functional
nanoparticles,2006
• Micro-array application review, Dr. Tomislav