Nanotechnology in Forensic Science

A benign skin condition caused by topical application of silver nanoparticles, resulting in a grey-blue discoloration.

Harmful effects of nanoparticles on living organisms, potentially causing inflammation, cell damage, and chronic changes.

The application of nanotechnology in crime investigations, utilizing nanosensors to detect explosive gases, biological agents, and residues.

Using nanotechnology to analyze DNA from biological evidence like blood, hair, and semen in crime investigations.

Utilizing nano-powders to enhance the visibility of latent fingerprints at crime scenes.

A scientific field that manipulates the molecular structure of materials at a near-atomic scale (1-100 nm) to create new structures, materials, and applications with unique properties. It involves combining physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering.

A modified form of carbon that's harder than steel, lighter than aluminum, and almost transparent. It's an example of a material with enhanced properties due to nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology can be classified by how it's made (bottom-up or top-down) and the environment it works in (dry or wet).

Starts with a tiny nano-scale structure (molecule) and gradually builds up to a larger structure through assembly or self-organization processes.

Miniaturizes existing structures to nano-scale dimensions (1 to 100 nm). Often used in electronics.

Used to manufacture nanomaterials in dry environments like coal, silicon, metals, and semiconductors that are sensitive to moisture.

Works in aqueous environments using biological systems like enzymes, genetic material, and cellular components.

A material engineered to have at least one dimension between 1 and 100 nm, giving it unique properties due to its size. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter.

When spherical DNA is mounted on a spherical nanoparticle, it can easily pass through the cell and nuclear membrane.

Antibodies and proteins can be used to coat nanoparticles (like carbon tubes or gold NPs) for easy and rapid bioassays.

Liposomes are vesicular structures with a unique bilayer arrangement. Uni-lamellar vesicles (UV) have a single bilayer, while multi-lamellar vesicles (MLV) have multiple bilayers separated by aqueous spaces.

MLVs allow multiple drugs to be loaded in different compartments. Drugs can be released sequentially as layers dissociate, starting from the outer shell to the inner core.

Made with albumin-bound technology, they utilize albumin's capacity to carry and release hydrophobic cargo.

They act as drug delivery systems, can enter cells via endocytosis, protect drugs from degradation, and prevent renal clearance.

Well-defined, branched, mono-dispersed polymers with a spherical shape forming cavities within the molecule.

High-generation dendrimers have high entrapment efficiency, allowing conjugation with therapeutic or diagnostic molecules.

Synthesized with biocompatible metals like gold, nickel, and silica, they have unique optical and magnetic properties used in diagnostics and imaging.

Nanoparticles are applied in various medical fields, including infectious diseases for antimicrobial agents and vaccine delivery, diagnostics for biosensors and imaging, and therapeutics for treatment and cell repair.

A scale of measurement where things are extremely small, typically 1 to 100 nanometers. It's about 1 billionth of a meter.

A tiny particle with a diameter between 1 and 100 nanometers. It's so small that it can interact with atoms and molecules at a very precise level.

A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. To put it into perspective, a human hair is about 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers wide.

Nanoparticles are small enough to enter cells and interact with their components, like DNA and proteins.

Nanomaterials often have different physical and chemical properties compared to their larger counterparts. This is due to their small size and high surface area-to-volume ratio.

Nanotechnology's unique properties allow it to be used in medicine for targeted drug delivery, diagnosis & therapy. Its tiny size allows it to interact with cells at a molecular level.

Biotechnology uses natural molecules and organisms, while nanotechnology utilizes engineered materials that are typically less than 100 nm in size.

The field that combines nanoscale materials with biological systems to develop innovative solutions in medicine & other areas.

It can work by incorporating nanoparticles into biological systems or miniaturizing biotechnology solutions to nanometer size for greater reach and efficiency.

One example is using nanoparticles to deliver DNA into cell nuclei, overcoming the challenge of its strand-like form. They can also create biosensors or image body parts.

Nanoparticles offer advantages in medical diagnosis, enabling non-invasive, quick, and affordable methods for detecting diseases at the cellular and sub-cellular levels. They allow targeted imaging, reducing the need for biopsies, enabling real-time and early detection, and minimizing toxicity with appropriate contrast agents.

Nanoparticles can be designed to attach to specific disease markers or cells, allowing doctors to visualize and identify diseased areas with greater precision, reducing the need for invasive biopsies.

Nanoparticles enable a revolutionary approach called THERANOSTICS, combining both diagnosis and treatment. They can target specific cells for delivery of drugs, therapies, or even gene editing tools, while simultaneously imaging the affected area.

Gold nanoparticles can act as contrast agents during CT scans, distinguishing between inflammatory processes and cancerous conditions, aiding in accurate diagnosis.

Nanowires allow non-invasive detection of issues within the central nervous system, offering a safer alternative to traditional invasive methods.

Quantum dots efficiently and sensitively identify viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), enhancing rapid diagnosis and early intervention.

While offering significant benefits, nanoparticles can also pose potential risks to the human body, depending on their properties, size, and route of administration.

Nanoparticles can enter the body through various pathways, including ingestion, inhalation, skin penetration, and injection, and potentially accumulate in various organs, including the liver, kidney, and brain.

Nanoparticles can accumulate in liver cells, potentially causing liver damage (hepatotoxicity).

Nanoparticles can accumulate in kidney structures, leading to oxidative stress, inflammation, and potentially chronic kidney damage or failure.