生物信息学技术

DNA-stable isotope probing, a method to identify active microorganisms without the prerequisite of cultivation, has been widely applied in the study of microorganisms involved in the degradation of environmental pollutants. Recent advances and technique considerations in ap ...

The rapid and sensitive detection of molecular targets such as proteins, cells, and pathogens in biological specimens is a major focus of ongoing medical research, as it could promote early disease diagnoses and the development of tailored therapeutic strategies. Magnetic nanoparti ...

Semiconductor photocatalysis using nanoparticulate TiO2 has proven to be a promising technology for use in catalytic reactions, in the cleanup of water contaminated with hazardous industrial by-products, and in nanocrystalline solar cells as a photoactive material. Metal oxide ...

We describe a single quantum dot tracking method that can be used to monitor individual proteins in the membrane of living cells. Unlike conventional fluorescent dyes, quantum dots (fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals) have high quantum yields, narrow emission wavelengths, a ...

Microspheres and nanospheres are being used in many of today’s biosensing applications for automated sample processing, flow cytometry, signal amplification in microarrays, and labeling in multiplexed analyses. The surfaces of the spheres/particles need to be modified with pro ...

SnO2 nanowires are synthesized via the chemical-vapor-deposition process using gold as the catalyst and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and cathodolumines ...

Semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) have become well-established as a unique nanoparticle scaffold for bioapplications due to their robust luminescent properties. In order to continue their development and expand this technology, improved methodologies are re ...

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) correlate analyte-binding events with the mechanical motions of devices in nanometer scales, which in turn are converted into detectable electrical or optical signals. Biosensors based on NEMS have the potential to achieve ultimate sensi ...

The field of nanotoxicology recently has emerged out of the need to systematically study the biocompatibility and potential adverse effects of novel nanomaterials. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are one of the most interesting types of nanomaterials, and recently, their use in applications h ...

Health risks following exposures to nanoparticle types are dependent upon two primary factors, namely, hazard and exposure potential. This chapter describes a pulmonary bioassay methodology for assessing the hazardous effects of nanoparticulates in rats following intratr ...

The approval of drugs for human use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) is a time-consuming and expensive process, and approval rates are low (DiMasi et al., J Health Econ 22:151–185, 2003; Marchetti and Schellens, Br J Cancer 97:577–581, ...

Legislation is a form of governance that directs attention and prescribes action. Within the domain of nanoscience, the US 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act contains mandates not only for rapid development for economic competitiveness but also for responsi ...

The patent landscape, like a garden, can tell you much about its designers and users: their motivations, biases, and general interests. While both patent landscapes and gardens may appear to the casual observer as refined and ordered, an in-depth exploration of the terrain is likely to reveal unfo ...

Scientists constantly generate great ideas in the laboratory and, as most of us were meant to believe, we should publish or perish. After all, what use is a great scientific idea if it is not shared with the rest of the scientific community? What some scientists forget is that a good idea can be worth something – s ...

This chapter, based on concepts developed for my book, NanoInnovation (Tomczyk, Nanoinnovation: What Every Manager Needs to Know, 2011), is one of the first attempts to evaluate nanotechnology in the context of the “marketing mix” – a conceptual challenge given that nanotechnology is not one p ...

The potential clinical applications and the economic benefits of theranostics represent a tremendous incentive to push research and development forward. However, we should also carefully examine the possible downsides. In this chapter, we address the issue of how theranostics mig ...

Bioremediation has been defined as a “biological response to environmental abuse” (1) This definition serves to distinguish between the use of microorganisms to remediate contaminated sites and their application in biotreatment/biorecycle processes designed to reduce org ...

Anthropogenic compounds are manufactured chemicals that are characterized by structures or substituents that make them resistant to biodegradation in the environment (1). Their persistence is not exclusively related to structure, but also highly dependent on environmental ...

Bioassays, such as the Salmonella/microsome assay described by Ames et al. (1), are routinely used to measure mutagenic activity of organic extracts This assay has been implemented successfully in the qualitative measurement of mutagenic compounds extracted from soils, sludges, and ...

Plasmid-mediated conjugation has been widely used to transfer catabolic genes, metal resistance genes and other markers of relevance for bioremediation or bioaugmentation into gram-negative bacteria of interest (see Notes 1 and 2). Also, some soil gram-positive bacteria are acce ...