Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,

My partner and I are looking for a novel approach in using nanoparticles to treat/diagnose a specific disease. We have looked into cancer, malaria, alzheimer's and MS research regarding nanotechnology; however we are unsure of the possible subtopics that we can explore, with regards to budget and lab equipment.

Do you suggest that we continue down this route? If so, should we focus specifically on diagnosis or treatment?

Thank you,

W & J

Hi there,

Nanotechnology is such a promising field of research... I highly encourage you to continue researching in the area!

One way to narrow down potential projects is to look into a local university lab's bioengineering or chemistry department to find recent work going on in nanotechnology. Perhaps, if you have the initiative and luck, you may be able to collaborate with or be mentored by faculty or post docs in such a lab. It's really rewarding to have that kind of experience. Another option is to look for papers in a journal like PubMed and try to explore what you find interesting. You could then look around for equipment or mentorship you may need.

Hope this helps. Please post with more questions!

I had a question about preparing an idea for the eventual progression to Intel ISEF or BioGenius. It's not strictly related to nanotech, however. I was thinking about developing a novel test strip composed of graphene-based nanotubes to detect the presence of astrocytes, glioblastomas, or other brain cancers reasonably early. It would use the electric potential of said nanotubes and harvested biomarker antibodies of GFAP (secreted by aforementioned tumor cells) to detect elevated levels of the biomarker in the bloodstream before the physical manifestations of the tumors appear on MRI scans. Now, I realize that a similar blood test exists in the form of a spinal tap, but as this is fairly painful, I'd present my project as a viable, novel alternative to this. If it helps, I am currently working at a research assistant ship at Emory University through the ION (Institute on Neuroscience) Summer Program, and I potentially have a partner/classmate in this endeavor.
Thank you for your anticipated responses!