Eric Wan - Period 7

AP Capstone

Why are chemists so excited about molecules these days? Molecules are the fundamental

building blocks of life - they create all the various tools and mechanisms which power and

sustain life. So how large are these molecules exactly? Molecules smaller than you think - think

10^-6 meters, or, the size of a single human red blood cell, and even smaller than that. This field

of science delving into the microscopic is known as nanotechnology, or technology on a

submicroscopic scale, and has already had a profound impact on the world. Novel inventions in

the forms of improved vaccinations, microscopic bandages, and complex medicine delivery

mechanisms have already been realized today.

Breakthrough research developed at some of the most prestigious institutes of higher

learning in the United States of America have led to the discovery of new methods of effective

vaccine and medicine delivery. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered that

nano sized molecules can be effectively used to capture specifically marked proteins (Xu, 2011).

Not only can we now interact with specific molecules in a safe fashion, we now have the

potential to directly attack or impact specific parts of the body and purify solutions. Why does

purity matter? When conducting experiments and creating medicine, the purer a substance is, the

more accurate the result will be. As researchers need to accurately study the bodys reactions to

various stimuli, purity is a must. Through more pure forms of recombinant protein production,

we can achieve accurate results and more confident data. Since proteins are used constantly by

the body for the continuous construction and destruction of muscles, tissue, and organs, by better

purifying recombinant proteins we can more effectively create medicines and solutions to health
problems and diseases such as muscular dystrophy, Alzheimers, Parkinson's, and more. The

benefits to a cure for these diseases is mind-blowing. According to the Institute of

Neurodegenerative Diseases from the University of California San Francisco, Alzheimer's and

Parkinson's collectively costs the United States over 200 billion dollars. The global cost of

Alzheimers is over 604 Billion USD, roughly 1% of the worlds GDP (The Cost of Dementia).

Additionally, as the baby boomer generation slides towards retirement, the burden on the current

healthcare system will only grow, highlighting the need to develop a cure for these

neurodegenerative diseases.

Another discovery in the field of nanotechnological applications to medicine was made

by several Indian researches working on vaccine delivery methods. The researchers investigated

the potential of using Poly(-caprolactone) microspheres as a vaccine carrier within the human

body. The researchers tested various polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) and Polyglycolide

acid (PGA) and found that the polymers have had an effect as impactful as that of a conventional

vaccination routine. Out of all the polymers tested, Polycaprolactone (PCL) had the best results.

This was due to the chemical nature of PCL that made it less degradable and created a less acidic

environment, which runs the risk of lessening the antigenicity of the vaccine, and thus was able

to more effectively deliver the vaccine (Jameela, 1996). We could see changes in the future in

how vaccines are deployed. We could see vaccines delivered orally, through microspheres within

food, or within a drink.

The process to discover these new technologies is complex. Polymers can be synthesized

in a variety of processes, such as copolymerization, when two monomers combine to form one

polymer and terpolymerization, where three monomers combine into one polymer (Peppas,

1994). These creation processes result in products that then need to be tested for toxicity and
allergic response, in addition to other checks. This safety check is a multistep process which is

mandated by the government. What ultimately results is a product that is not only effective but

also safe for the consumer. As more and more technologies emerge, action must be taken to more

quickly release new medicines to the people who need them.

 Works Cited

Jameela, S., Suma, N., Misra, A., Raghuvanshi, R., Ganga, S., & Jayakrishnan, A.
(1996). Poly(-caprolactone) microspheres as a vaccine carrier. Current Science, 70(7), 669-671.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24097391

Peppas, N., & Langer, R. (1994). New Challenges in Biomaterials. Science, 263(5154),
1715-1720. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2883556

The Cost of Dementia. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2017, from

https://ind.ucsf.edu/supporting-our-work/cost-dementia

Xu, F., Geiger, J. H., Baker, G. L., & Bruening, M. L. (2011). Polymer Brush-Modified
Magnetic Nanoparticles for His-Tagged Protein Purification. Langmuir: The ACS Journal of
Surfaces and Colloids, 27(6), 31063112. http://doi.org/10.1021/la1050404